Change of Scenery
by ruthless527
Summary: Takes place after FB. Dimitri has accepted Tasha's offer so Rose leaves to complete her field trials at an academy in CA. As she starts to allow herself to love another, will Dimitri try to get her back?
1. Chapter 1

I was standing along the wall at a school dance just watching everyone enjoying themselves and dancing. I was getting bored of all the girls asking me to dance because, frankly, none of them interested me in any way. I was about to leave when I felt a pull toward the front door. I looked over and started walking that way when the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life walked in. She had long brown almost black hair cascading down her back and a curvasious body that weakened my knees. Then she stopped and turned to face me. Her face was that of an angel. and those eyes. I could drown in those chocolate brown eyes. We said nothing to each other but just stared at each other. In her hands she was holding a red flower, a rose. I was about to say something when she smiled at me and I thought my heart was going to burst inside my chest. Then I woke up. That was the first time a dreamed of my mystery girl. Every night for the last week she has come to me in my dreams. We never speak but only looked into each others eyes. In every dream she held the same flower. I have never been one to believe that our dreams mean anything but I sure hope these dreams do. And I hope that whatever happens, happens soon.

RPOV

This is going to be good for me. A change of scenery is just what I need to get over Mason's death and Dimitri leaving me to be Tasha's gaurdian. Oh man, my life sucks right now. That's why when Headmistress Kirova and Guardian Petrov offered me the opportunity to go to the California Academy to do my field trials I accepted pretty quick. Cause even though Dimitri was going to be Tasha's gaurdian he wasn't leaving until after graduation. No way was I going to be around him for that long knowing he chose her over me. Love sucks.

Lissa is still pissed at me for not telling her my feelings for Dimitri, my former mentor. And now she is mad for taking the offer to do my field experience at a different school. I told her I would still graduate with her but I needed a break. i promised to call everyday and she reluctantly accepted my decision. I'm gonna miss her.

Now I am sitting in a plane on my way to my new home for the next 6 weeks. Accompanying me on the plane is Guardian John Bloom from Alders Academy in the Californa desert. I'm going to die from the heat, I just know it. He is only a few years older than me and oh so hot! He is just over 6 foot, sandy brown hair that looks messy cool and eyes the color of the sky. He looks like a surfer with his muscular tan body and laid back demeanor. I can't help stealing glances at him. Every time I do I notice he is looking at me too.

"So how come you decided to come to our school? Not that I'm complaining." he said.

"Just needed to get away for awhile and get a fresh start. Somewhere where no one knows who I am or what I've been through, you know."

"Yeah, that might not be possible. What happened in Spokane has spread everywhere. You are well known even at our fair school."

" Just great. What else have you heard?" I sure hope all the horrible blood whore rumors Jesse started never went outside St Vlads borders.

"Just that you have a reputation for losing your temper and causing trouble. That you are the top novice at your school. And that you are the most beautiful creature to walk the earth." he said with a small grin spreading on his face.

I look at him and my heart starts to speed up and I start to feel myself blush. I stare at his lips that look so soft and inviting I just want to lean over to touch them with mine. Get ahold of yourself Rose!

I just smile at him and say "Well, no denying the truth." and try to laugh it off.

We finally arrive at the school Friday morning right before breakfast. John walks me to the front office to get my room assignment and meet another novice who would show me around. "See you soon Rose. Try not to get into any trouble your first day." he winked at me and left.

"Hey you must be Rosemarie. I'm Katie. I'm going to be your guide. Since field trials start on Monday, you'll just follow my schedule today." she said. She was nice looking and about my height but didn't have the curves I do. Her hair was strawberry blond with soft curls and her face was covered in soft freckles. they made her look younger than she was.

"Hey Katie. You can call me Rose. Well where should we go first?"

"Are you hungry? Breakfast is just starting and you can meet the other students." she said.

"Sounds great, I'm starving." We walk into the dining hall and walked through the doors when the entire room fell silent and all eyes were on me. Maybe this was a bad idea.


	2. Chapter 2

RPOV

Okay Rose, I can do this. This isn't St Vlads. These people know nothing about me or the rumors Jesse started. They are just curious about the new novice. No big deal. I will not give them any reason to think negatively about me. The novelty will wear out in a few days and I can blend in with the crowd. No problem. Yeah right Rose. When have I ever blended in anywhere.

Katie and I walked over to a table where three other novices were already eating. The guys were starring at me with mouths open when I sat down.

"Doesn't it make it more difficult to digest the food it you don't first chew and swallow?" I asked the blond guy right across from me who had food in his open mouth as he stared at me.

"Oh, sorry" he said as he continued to eat his pancakes never taking his eyes off me.

"Rose, this is Mike Dalton. He is also a senior novice. Next to him is Tim Morris and this is Susan Ball, the only other girl novice at this school. Guys this is Rose" Katie said.

"There are only 3 dhampir girls in this school including me?" I asked astonished. There weren't a whole lot of girls at my school but there were more than 3. "No wonder everyone is staring."

"So how come you're here anyway?" Tim asked. He was pretty cute. He had long brown dreadlocks and brown eyes with a tan, toned body. Yummy.

"I was asked to come so I did." I wasn't sure how comfortable I was telling them I was heartbroken and grieving and trying to heal. I didn't want to show weakness to people I just met.

"Interesting. Do you have a last name Rose?" Mike asked. He had black hair that was hanging over his deep blue eyes. He kind of reminded me of Christian.

"Of course I do." I said leaving it at that.

"And it would be...?"

"Hathaway"

Tim nearly choked on his orange juice when I told them my name. "Are you serious? You're _the_ Rose Hathaway? The Rose Hathaway that just killed a house full of Strigoi? _That_ Rose Hathaway?"

"It wasn't a _house full _of Strigoi. There were only two and a dear friend of mine was killed during it so I don't really want to talk about it okay?" I hope they don't ask anymore questions about it.

"Did you get any molnija marks for your kills?" Mike asked apparently not understanding what 'I don't want to talk about it' means.

"Yeah. Hey Katie, let's go get some food. I'm starving." I hope the subject will be dropped when we get back.

Katie and I went to get in line. God I hope they have doughnuts. I would kill for some fried dough right about now. Suddenly I felt someone standing a little too close behind me. I didn't want to start a scene at the new school so I just stood there patiently hoping whoever it is will back off. No such luck. Suddenly there was a hand moving my hair away from my shoulder and I felt warm breath on my neck. "A body as sexy as your is being wasted killing Strigoi. I have a few suggestions as to what we can do with it though."

I turned around to face a Moroi standing too close with a big grin on his face. He was very good looking and probably didn't have a problem getting any girl he wanted. He was about to be very disappointed. "I have a few suggestions as to what to do with yours too, but I don't think you would like any of them."

"Ooh, I like the fiesty ones. I bet you do lots of dirty things in bed. I bet that neck of your has seen a few bites in its ..." he was cut off from finishing when I grabbed his neck and kicked his legs out from under him and brought him hard onto the floor.

"I am not a blood whore. If you ever touch me again I will break your pretty little face. Do you understand?" I was seeing red. How did he know so quickly how to push my buttons? I was here a total of 15 minutes and I was already in my first fight. Dimitri would be so pissed at me.

"Someone is a little touchy. Did I strike a nerve? You know you like it. All you Dhamp girls do." he said while trying to pry my hand off his neck.

"Hathaway!" was shouted from across the room. I looked up to see Guradian John Bloom walking toward me with a very angry expression on his face. Damn it. "What do you think you are doing to Mr Zeklos?"

I got off him so he could stand up. "Zeklos? Of course." He must be related to Jesse and heard the rumors he started about what we did in bed. Just great. "I was just letting Mr Zeklos know that his suggestions for what he could do to my body were not appreciated."

John then looked at the Moroi standing there rubbing his neck. "Mr Zeklos, if I were you I would head Ms. Hathaways warning and stay away from her. Rose, I will see you after school in the gym to discuss your behavior while you are at this school. Now continue what you were doing."

I got my breakfast and went and sat down with Katie and her friends. "What the hell Rose. Do you realize who you just threatened?" Susan asked with a shocked expression on her face.

"Some royal Moroi asshole named Zeklos I guess" I said while eating my yummy glazed doughnut.

"That's Jacob Zeklos. The most popular guy at school and also best friends with Alex Black, the best novice at this school." she informed me.

"Why would any novice be friends with that prick?"

"Well Alex shares some of the same views as Jacob. He believes that dhampir girls shouldn't be guardians but breeders instead." Katie said with distaste.

"Well now I can't wait to kick this Alex guys ass." After we finished eating, Katie and I left to take my bag to my room and get ready for classes. The first class was combat training and I couldn't wait to punch someone. If I couldn't punch Jacob, Alex will do. As we were exiting the dining hall I couldn't help but notice that just about every male in the room followed us out. Good lord. You would think they never saw a girl before.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews. Hope you like this chapter.**

RPOV

Katie and I finally made it to the gym locker room so we could change. Walking through a sea of drooling boys is not easy and I hope it will end soon. As we walked into the gym for class I noticed that there were a lot of guardians and other students hanging around the perimiter.

"Is this class always this full?"

"No. I guess they all want to see you in action." Katie said while looking at crowd. Great. Just what I need.

"So where is this Alex Black. I would really like to ask him a few questions before I beat the crap out of him." I said a little to harshly than I intended.

Katie looked around and stopped when a tall blond walked into the gym. He was almost as tall as Dimitri with blond shaggy hair that went down to the top of his shoulders. I couldn't tell what color his eyes were this far away but they were light. His body was amazing, muscular but not over the top and nice and tan. He was wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt that showed off his muscles. If I didn't think he was a prick, I would probably be drooling a little. "That's him walking over to the other side of the gym." she said as she pointed him out.

"Thanks. I think I need to have a little chat with him."

"Rose, be careful. After what happened this morning you don't need to get into any more trouble. Try to control your tempor and save it practice." Katie warned. I nodded to her to let her know that I would try to keep my cool. I then walked over to where Alex was on the floor stretching out his legs. I stood next to him waiting for him to acknowlege my presence but he ignored me.

"Are you Alex Black?" I asked.

"Yeah. Who are you?" he asked never looking up to me.

"Just a transfer student. Can I ask you some questions?"

"If I say no will you leave me alone?"

"Unlikely."

"Then ask away. But I should warn you I don't date novices."

"Is it true you think dhampir girls are only good to be bleeding breeders?" I asked with as much venom I could muster.

He stopped for a moment and grinned. He didn't look up to meet me in the eye but just turned his head to look at my feet. "I wouldn't put it so crudly but pretty much yeah."

"You seriously don't think women can be guardians? Did you just get thawed out from some iceblock from the caveman era?"

"No. For the most part I think womem dhampirs serve a greater purpose continueing our race by having and raising children. I think there are a few good female guardians out there but they are the exception. Janine Hathaway for one is a great guardian. But as for her daughter," he paused "I hear she could be pretty good too with already killing a couple Strigoi. But then I also heard she is pretty much on her way to being a blood whore with the way she gets around." he said that last part as he finally looked to see my face. He must have seen the hatred in my eyes because all the blood rushed out of his face as he turned ghostly white. I was ready to rip his head off. But I rememberd Katie's warning and just turned on my heels and walked away as I said "Asshole!"

"Alright everyone let's get started." The teacher, Guardian Lackey said. I noticed that there was only one female guradian at this school, Guardian Waterston. I was starting to wonder if they wanted me here to help enlighten the student body that girls were just as good as boys at guarding Moroi. Hopefully I wouldn't let them down. "As you all know we have a new student. She transfered here for the field trials that start on Monday. Then she will return to graduate with her old school. Since we don't know much about what you can do Rose, would you come to the front to spar with another student." I walked to the mat and started to put my hair into a ponytail. Of course the kid behind me noticed the molnija marks on my neck.

"Holy cow. You really did kill those Strigoi didn't you."

"Yeah yeah. Can we get this started?" I asked the teacher.

"Of course Ms. Hathaway. Alex Black can you come here and spar with Rose please." Alex slowly made his way to the mat. He was starring at me the whole time never looking away from my glare. I couldn't tell what he was thinking because he wore the guardian mask just as well as Dimitri does. Then he opened his mouth to speak. "_You're_ Rose Hathaway?"

"You just figured that out? You ready?" And with that I lunged at his and hit him right in the nose. I don't think I broke it but is caused him to stumble back. Before I let him get steady again I kicked him hard in the chest and he fell to the ground. I immediately pinned him to the ground. He just looked up at me with a wide eyed expression. "Why are you holding back? They say you're the best novice at this school. If this is your best effort than this school really sucks. Now get your ass off the mat and show me what you can do!" I was pissed and I wanted to hurt him but I also wanted a challenge.

He got back on his feet and I could see a flash of anger in his eyes. Good. Maybe he'll actually give me a real fight. He then swung at me but I blocked it and landed a hard hit to his gut. He bent over and I kneed his chin. Then he lunged again and hit me in the side but I recovered quickly and kicked him in the head. This continued for about 15 minutes both getting in some good hits and kicks. He actually managed to get me down but before he could pin me I managed to wrap my legs around his body and pull him off my while I straddled his torso and pinned his shoulders to the mat. We were both breathing pretty heavy. He was staring me in the eyes with disbelief. I smiled at him and leaned in closer to his face and whispered "You just got beat by girl you fucking dick. You shouldn't have pissed me off." I then got up off of him and noticed that everyone was cheering for me. He didn't move but just watched me as I walked away. I looked over and saw Guardian Bloom looking at me with a huge grin on his face. Apparently he liked what I could do. He walked over to me still grinning and said "I can't wait to see what you do to me after school today." Then he turned and left. He was very hot and I started to think of all the things I really would like to do to him and none of it had anything to do with fighting. Stop Rose! You can't keep falling for your teachers. Get. A. Grip. I am in serious need of some professional help.

**Tell me what you think. Please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you everyone for the amazing reviews. I am having tons of fun writing this story and I am glad you are enjoying it.**

**Oh and I don't own any of the Vampire Academy characters.**

Alex POV

I was in the gym practicing on the dummies working up a sweat when I hear someone walking up behind me. I turn around and see her approaching with that beautiful smile and dazzling eyes looking at me with longing. I stop and just stare at her. My heart starts to race and I think I stop breathing. She keeps walking and gets closer to me than she ever has before. She stops just inches away from me never releasing her gaze from mine. I lean down to kiss her and I just barely touch her lips she slowly backs away. Suddenly her expression changes and she looks at me with sadness and disappointment. She starts to back away and I can see tears starting to fill her eyes. I don't want her to leave without knowing what happened so I start to walk toward her. I'm about to touch her arm when all of a sudden I find myself falling into a deep, dark pit. Red roses are falling all around me. And just as I am about to hit the bottom...

I woke up with a jolt breathing heavy and covered in sweat. It takes me a second to realize that I am safe in my bed. I hear a buzzing noise and I look over to see that my alarm is going off and I has been for the last 30 minutes. "Damn I'm gonna be late." I quickly run to take a shower and dress for classes. Maybe if I hurry, I can grab something quick for breakfast and eat on the way to my first class.

I get to the dining hall and it is practically empty. I'm later than I thought. I grab a bagel and begin taking huge bites as I run to the gym. After I change into my practice clothes I walk into the gym and notice that it is a lot more crowded than usual. I have no idea why. I walk over the the end of the gym and sit down to start my stretches. I am interupted by the sound of a foot tapping on the floor next to me obviously trying to get my attention. Not wanting to be bothered I just ignore whoever it is.

"Are you Alex Black?" _Okay so a girl is trying to get my attention but she doesn't sound familiar._

"Yeah. Who are you?" _I don't look up in order to keep the upper hand of this conversation._

"Just a transfer student. Can I ask you some questions?" _A transfer student? This is news to me._

"If I say no will you leave me alone?" _Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll leave._

"Unlikely."

"Then ask away. But I should warn you I don't date novices." _Maybe that will end this conversation. With field trials coming up I just don't have time._

"Is it true you think dhampir girls are only good to be bleeding breeders?" _Wow she sounds pissed. Where did she hear this and why does she care what I think? Well she asked. Might as well tell her the truth. _

I smile and turn my head in her direction but still not looking at her face. "I wouldn't put it so crudly but pretty much yeah."

"You seriously don't think women can be guardians? Did you just get thawed out from some iceblock from the caveman era?" _That's funny_.

"No. For the most part I think womem dhampirs serve a greater purpose continueing our race by having and raising children. I think there are a few good female guardians out there but they are the exception. Janine Hathaway for one is a great guardian. But as for her daughter," I stop to think about what Jacob's coudin Jesse said about that Rose girl from St Vlads. "I hear she could be pretty good too with already killing a couple Strigoi. But then I also heard she is pretty much on her way to being a blood whore with the way she gets around." I finally turn to look at who I am talking to with the last few words only to see the shock of my life. It's her. The girl who has been haunting my dreams for the last week and she is royally pissed. I think I can physically feel the hatred she is emmiting from her glare. All the blood drained from my face I think because I feel very cold all of a sudden. I can't speak because mouth feels so dry. She suddenly turns away and mutters "Asshole" loud enough for me to know it is meant for my benefit. God, what have I done. I have been wondering and waiting to see if this dream girl would materialize. And she did. And she hates me. Now what am I going to do?

I stand up and just watch her cross the room and stand next to Katie and Susan. I can't take my eyes off her. She is just as beautiful as she is in my dreams. Even though she isn't smiling at me. My heart is fluttering realizing that she is here, she's real. I barely here what Guardian Lackey is saying. The I notice he turns to speak to her and he calls her Rose. Her name is Rose. I see her pulling her hair into a pony tail. She has great hair. I just want to reach out and run my fingers through that lovely brown mane.

"Holy cow. You really did kill those Strigoi didn't you." some kid behind her said. What did that mean? Why would he say that? She is a novice girl. The only one that did that is that Hathaway girl. Oh god, please don't tell me she is Rose Hathaway and I just pretty much called her a blood whore to her face not two minutes ago. I think I'm gonna be sick.

"Yeah yeah. Can we get this started?" _Oh crap!_

Then I hear the teacher speak my name and motion me to the mat that she is waiting on. Oh no. I can't let her no how terrified I am. Not because I think she can beat me but because I don't want to hurt her and push her away any more than I already have. I walk to stand in front of her. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe she isn't Rose Hathaway and I just heard wrong. I need to confirm. "_You're_ Rose Hathaway?"

"You just figured that out? You ready?" And with that she strikes out and hits my nose and I stumble back. Damn she's fast. Before I can get my balance she kicks me in the chest and I fall to the floor. Before I realize what's happening she is on top of me with her hands on my shoulders pushing them into the mat. Man she's good. And she's so close. She still looks angry. "Why are you holding back? They say you're the best novice at this school. If this is your best effort than this school really sucks. Now get your ass off the mat and show me what you can do!" Okay that just pissed me off. She may be the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, but she is also a bitch.

I got off the floor to face her again. If she doesn't want me to hold back then I won't. She needs to learn to be careful what you wish for. We start to fight and we both get in some good hits. Man, she is strong and fast. She's almost as good as me. Almost. I finally get her down after about 15 minutes and I'm about to claim my victory when her legs suddenly grab my shoulders and pull me down to the mat. Before I can blink she is on top again and pinning me. Damn it! I can't believe she did that. We are both breathing heavy and then she smiles at me. That wonderful smile I've seen in my dreams. She starts leaning closer to my face. I can't help hope that she is coming in for a kiss. Please let that be he reason. No such luck. "You just got beat by girl you fucking dick. You shouldn't have pissed me off." She pushes my shoulders down a little harder as she pushes herself off of me. I hear everyone cheering for her as I watch her walk away. I definately made a very bad first impression with her. I don't know if I can ever come back from that. But I know I need to try.

After changing out of my practice clothes I leave to go to my next class when I run into my best friend Jacob Zeklos. Actually he is more that my friend, he's my half brother. Same Moroi father, different mothers. Luckily we grew up close to each other and our father arranged for us to go to the same academy. I am most likely going to be his guardian. No one knows we're related though.

"Hey Alex what's wrong with you? You look like you just lost your mother."

"No, worse. I just got on the wrong side of Rose Hathaway. And she just kicked my ass in class today." It really is embarassing.

"You too huh? That girl has some temper." a smirk growing on Jacob's face.

"What does that mean. Have you met her?"

"You could say that. She attacked me after I mentioned that she might be better suited to another line of work other than guardian with the body she posesses. She didn't agree."

"Well, now the whole conversation we had this morning is starting to make more sense. Her new friends probably told her about me because of you. Thanks a lot." Great. If it wasn't for his big mouth she wouldn't have known anything about me and we could have started out a lot better.

"What did she say?"

"She asked if I thought women should be guardians."

"What did you say?"

" I told her I thought women should be mom's and not guardians. I wasn't looking at her when I was talking. I didn't know who she was at the time." Why didn't I just look up sooner?

"Well then that's your fault. Not mine." he laughed. I'm glad someone thinks this is amusing. "She is fiesty isn't she. And that body... I would love to spend some time naked with her." Over my dead body! I need to discourage this fasination he has with Rose. I know how he can get when wants something bad enough.

"Don't waste your time. She isn't going to give in to you no matter how hard you try."

"That sounds like a challenge. You know how I like a challenge." Shit! Wait, Rose is never going to go for him. He's just going to end up getting hurt and humiliated.

"Your funeral." I chuckle.

Throughout the day I see her in my classes. she doesn't seem angry any more. That's good. But she also doesn't acknowledge my existance either. That's not so good. I also notice that while I am staring at her every chance I get, so is every other guy in the room. That's bad. I need to find a way to get on her good side. maybe the answer will come to me in a dream. That's where she came from.

**I hope you like the story so far and don't worry, some of your favorite characters will show up again in Rose's life. Just be patient and review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow. I am so thrilled that many of you are enjoying my story. I will keep updating as fast as I can.**

**I don't own Vampire Academy of its characters.**

**RPOV**

The rest of the day was pretty boring and I had calmed down from this morning. I noticed Alex was in some of the classes and was always watching me. Maybe he thought I would attack him if he let his guard down. I don't know. Once it looked like he was going to say something but changed his mind. I wasn't really mad at him anymore. I asked him his opinion and he told me honestly. I don't agree with him and I could have done without the personal attack, but I guess he didn't know who he was talking to. I still wasn't ready to forgive him though so I just pretended he didn't exist.

After the last class I went to the gym to receive my punishment for my fight this morning. I walk in and see Guardian Bloom waiting for me in the center of the mat. He tells me to change into my practice clothes for training.

"So you have some moves you want to show me?" I say with a flirtatious grin on my face.

He smiles at my forwardness. "I have_ a lot _of moves I could teach you, but we'll just stick to combat moves right now."

"Well it's a good thing that those are the only ones I am interested in." I reply still grinning. He is fun to flirt with. He reminds me of Mason.

We start sparing and he is really good. Not as good as Dimitri of course, just different. He is really good at his kicks and shows me some new manuvers. He said that I am catching on really quickly. We continue on for about an hour when he challenges me. "I tell you what, if you can subdue me in under 10 minutes, I will take you out of here tomorrow."

"Take me where exactly?" This makes me a little nervous. I've known him for about a day and he wants to take me alone somewhere?

"Another guardian and I are chaparoning 5 novices on a trip to the ocean to go surfing. If you complete the challenge, you can come along."

That sounds so good. Being out in the sun and water sounds like heaven right now. "I love the beach. You're on."

We start to fight and I am using the kicks he showed me pretty well. But I also realize that since he is the one to teach me the moves, he also know how to successfully defend against them. I then remember a move Dimitri showed me right before I left. I only tried it a couple of times but if I did it right I might catch him off guard enough to subdue him. After I block a hit and land one to his ribs I crouch down and sweep his legs and he is on the ground. I quickly land on top of his chest to keep him down. He looks a little stunned then smiles.

"I guess you win. And in a way so do I." he says as he looks me in the eyes with a hungry look. My heart starts to race as he doesn't look away. He then suddenly rolls over so he is straddling my hips, never once breaking his gaze. He takes my wrists and holds them on the mat by my shoulders. He just stays there for what seems like hours just looking at me. Then he slowly starts lowering his head closer and closer to me until he is mere inches away from my lips. I can feel his warm breath on my face as my own breath starts to increase. He then closes the space between us when his lips lightly touch mine. He kisses me gently and I respond in kind. Then he increases the pressure and intensity of the kiss and I feel like my head is spinning. He lightly tickles my bottom lip with his tongue causing me to part my lips giving him access to my mouth. We kiss each other passionately for about ten minutes. He pulls away from the kiss but remains inches from me. We are both breathing fast and hard.

What am I doing? He is a teacher. I am a student. We can't be doing this. This is exactly why Dimitri left me for Tasha. If I wanted a relationship with a teacher I could have stayed at St Vlads and fought for Dimitri. I know it's not right. That is why I came here in the first place and now I am just repeating my mistakes. I have to get out of here.

"I have to go now." I tell him as I try to push him off me. He hesitates but the rolls off so I can stand up.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what it is about you but I can't seem to maintain my control. You won the challenge though. Did you still want to go tomorrow?" He asked with embarrassment showing on his face.

"Yeah, I still would like to go if the other students wouldn't mind." As long as I was with a group I think I might be able to stay out of trouble. At least the kind of trouble he and I were just in.

"Don't worry. I am sure they won't mind. Katie and Susan are two of the novices on the trip." Knowing I won't be the only girl makes me feel so much better about this.

"Who else is going?"

"Tim Morris, Mike Dalton and Alex Black."

"Alex Black? Why is he going?" Now I wasn't sure if I wanted to be in a car with him for hours at a time.

"Well he likes to surf and earned his spot. Do you have a problem with Alex?"

I don't want to go into the whole conversation from this morning. So I lied. "No. No problem."

I quickly leave the gym after finding out when and where to meet for the trip. Because our days and nights are backwards from the human world, we were actually leaving in a few hours to take advantage of the sunshine hours. I figured I could just sleep on the ride there and back. The trip is about 2 hours each way. Plus, the next day is Sunday so I plan on just sleeping all day anyway.

I get to my room and immediately get my phone to call Lissa.

"Hey Liss. It's me. How is the school managing to survive without me?"

"Well the school is fine but I miss you."

:Thanks. I miss you too."

"So how was your first day?"

"Not so great. I got in trouble before breakfast for fighting. I found out that Jesse has been talking to his jerk of a cousin here about the lies he spread about me and I made out with one of my instructors duing my after school training."

"Oh Rose, you didn't. I thought you were going there to start over. It seems you're in the exact same place you were here. So maybe you should just come back?" she says with a little too much enthusiasm.

"Sorry Lissa but I am going to finish my 6 weeks here. Did you know that with me here, there are only 3 female novices? The attitude towards female guardians is appalling. I think I need to stay and show these boys what girls are capable of. Especially novice Alex Black. Plus, I am going surfing tomorrow."

"Wait, how did you manage that after you were caught fighting?"

"Well, the kissing might have helped."

"Oh Rose."

"I gotta go Liss. I'll call you tomorrow."

**I hope you like it. Please review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**You guys are the best. I love all the positive reviews. I'm glad you like the story so far.**

**I don't own any part of Vampire Academy.**

**Dimitri's POV**

I can't believe one person could have such an effect on me. She just left the academy a few hours ago and the hole it has left inside me is crippling. I know she left because of me. Because I chose a life that she would not be a part of. In our world, we could not be together. We couldn't have a future together. Everything that we were, that we trained for, that we commit ourselves to for the duration of our lives prevented our being together. To say that our love is forbidden is an understatement. People could die if we let our love for each other get in the way. I couldn't live with that. So the best solution was to end it now and move on with our lives. I just didn't realize it would hurt this bad.

Rose was aware of this too. She encouraged me to take Tasha's offer to be her guardian. She loved me enough to let me go. She wanted my happiness above her own. She is so selfless. She is always putting the ones she cared for and loved ahead of herself. That is one of the reasons I fell in love with her. I had hoped that by not leaving until she graduated, it would ease the inevitable pain of leaving her. Like easing your way into a cold pool. A little at a time until your body gets used to the temperature and then it is comfortable. Apparently Rose had a different opinion. She decided to just cannonball into the deep end. She left. And now it's killing me.

As I walk around the school on guard duty, everything seems lifeless. All the color that was once all around left with her. The air seems heavier because it seems harder to breath without her here. How am I going to live without her? I'm starting to realize that a life without Rose is not a life at all.

Tasha is a good friend. She is comfortable and easy to be with, but she doesn't light a fire within me the way Rose does. I hope that in time that my feelings for each woman will change. But I've known Tasha for years and I have always felt the same, just friends. I know she feels more for me than I do for her. Is that fair for her? Tasha can give me something Rose could never give me: a family. But is that enough?

I have gone through the day in a fog. I go to have dinner but the food no longer has taste. Rose has taken everything good and pleasurable in my life with her when she left. I guess I deserve that for leaving her. I am starting to feel like I am drowning in sorrow. I head to my room to be alone. I feel like I need to talk to her. Get just a little piece of her to tide me over to endure the night. But I can't do that to her. She needs a clean break and I don't want to disrespect her decision. Maybe I can do the next best thing. I'll call Guardian Bloom who took her away from me.

"Guardian Bloom here."

"John. This Dimitri. Do you have a minute?"

"Sure Dimitri. Are you calling to check in on Rose?"

"Actually yes. How is she doing?"

"You weren't kidding when you said she had a problem controlling her temper?" he said laughing. Oh God. What did she do? It's only the first day.

"What happened? Did anyone get hurt? Did she get hurt?"

"Well, let's just say that she let a certain royal, and every other male within earshot know what she would do if they touched her body or made inappropriate suggestions as to what they wanted to do with her body. That happened before she even had breakfast." he paused to laugh. "I don't blame her though. With a body like that, she has to set the ground rules as soon as she can." My blood started to boil knowing that something had to happen to set her off and I wasn't there to protect her. Of course I know she is more than capable of protecting herself.

"I guess I should have expected that. Did the rest of the day go alright?" I hope that was the highlight of the day.

"I think it was okay. During guardian training class she seemed to be having an heated discussion with our top novice Alex Black, but I don't know what it was about. What ever he did to piss her off caused him to lose a match against her. She's really good. I can see your influance in her fighting." That's my Roza.

"You're right. She is an excellant fighter. I'm glad she did so well beating your top novice."

"Well I don't know how fair it was to him. He seemed to be a little distracted, if you know what I mean. In fact, just about every guy at this school is distracted. I don't know how you did it Dimitri, being so close to her all the time and staying in control. How did you keep yourself from just taking her in your arms and..." he trailed off and went silent as if deep in thought.

"Did.. something.. happen.. between you.. and Rose?" I say with venom dripping off each word. If he touched her I will come down there and rip his arms off so he can never touch her again!

"No. Nothing happened. We trained after class and that was all." he said quickly. The way he answered I knew he was lying. He is very lucky that at this minute there were many states between us. Maybe I need to pay John a little visit.

"John, for your sake you better be telling me the truth. She is a student and a minor no matter how _distracted_ you are by her body. I don't want to have to pay you a visit to remind you of this fact." I hope he gets the warning and behaves himself. I'm such a hypocrite.

"No Dimitri. I understand. I have to go. I'm taking some novices surfing tomorrow and I need to get some sleep. Don't worry. Rose is fine. If anything happens I will let you know. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." I was supposed to feel better by talking to him. Now I can't calm down. I need to hit something. Since John is too far away, the gym will have to do. As I am mutalating the dummies my phone rings. I am surprised to see who is calling.

**Rose POV**

After I hung up with Lissa, I crawled into bed and waited for sleep to take me. No such luck. It seems that now that I am still, all the ache and pain of being away from Dimitri has caught up with me. It feels as though it is crushing down upon my chest and I can barely breath. I miss him so much. I find myself staring at my phone trying to will it to ring with Dimitri's voice on the other end telling me he made a mistake and wants me back. But it doesn't ring. I need to hear his voice. This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. The tears are building in my eyes and I try not to set them free. I know if I do they won't stop.

I hope he is doing better than I am. Maybe if I talk to him he can assure me that this really the best decision. But mainly, I just need to hear his voice.

I nervously dial his number and listen to it ring. Part of me hopes he picks up and part of me knows that if he does it will be even harder to move on. He picks up "Roza, are you okay?"

The tears start streaming down my face as his beautiful voice fills me up. I can't speak.

"Roza, please talk to me. Tell me you are safe."

"Dimitri" I manage to whisper. "I don't know if I can do this."

There is silence on the line for a moment. "Roza, I am so sorry." I can hear the tears he is trying to hold back in his voice.

"Please tell me again why...why we can't be together, because right now I can't find a good enough excuse not to be with you right now."

"Oh Roza, you know why we can' be together."

"Yeah yeah, I know. Our charges would be compromised, people would not approve and..." I start to sob a little louder "I can't give you what you want most." a family.

"Don't say that! There is nothing in this world I want more than you!" he sounds like he is getting angry.

"Then why are we here? Why do we have to sacrifice everything we want?" His anger must be catching because I can't stop myself from yelling.

"Because I will not ruin your future as a the Princess' Guardian. She needs you right now." he seems to be calming down.

"But_ I _need _you_ more." I say pleadingly.

"Roza do you think you could be happy knowing you abandoned her for your own happiness?" Why does he have to know me so well.

"You're right. I wish there was a way I can have both of you. It's not fair." I'm starting to sound like a two year old.

"I know Roza. Maybe someday the world will change and we can be together, but for now..." he didn't have to finish. "Roza is everything going okay at school? Has anyone hurt you?"

He sounds like he is fishing for something. Does he know about what happened today?

"Everything is fine, Dimitri. In fact I am going with some students tomorrow to the beach to go surfing. Maybe the fresh air will help me see reason and give me strength to live without you. God, my life is a disaster."

"You're going on a trip with Guardian Bloom? Please be careful Rose, I don't trust him around you."

"How do you know he's going? Have you been checking up on me?" I can't be to angry. I know he still cares and is only trying to protect me. It makes me love him more. Great. Just what I need. Another reason to love him.

"I'm sorry Rose. I just needed to know you were okay. It's hard, you know. Part of me wants to lecture you about losing your temper and fighting this morning and the other part of me is sad you didn't do more damage to the creep." I can't help but laugh at that.

"I can take care of myself Dimitri. Well physically anyway. I guess I need to work on taking care of myself emotionally now. I guess I should go now. I love you Dimitri. I always will. No matter what happens."

"I'll always love you too Roza."

Thankfully the conversation made me feel better. He still loves me. Sleep finally comes.

**I hope you liked this chapter. It was hard to write but I hope I did okay. Please review and let me know what you think.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. And thanks to my daughter Monica for proofreading and giving me her approval before I update. Now on with the story.**

**I don't own any part of Vampire Academy.**

**RPOV**

It seems like I just fell asleep when I wake to the annoying beeping of my alarm. But when I remember where I'm going today, I spring off my bed and run to take a shower. Hello beach, here I come! I quickly dress into my maroon bikini and put on my jean shorts, white long sleeve botton-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, bottoned half-way up and my flip-flops. I grab my bag and fill it with sunblock, an extra set of clothes and a towel. As I run out the door I grab the sunglasses Lissa bought me before I left. Like she said, 'You can't be in California without a cool pair of sunglasses'.

As I am walking to the front of the school to join the others, Katie and Susan run up to me.

"Rose, we have a huge favor to ask of you." Katie says.

"Umm, okay. What do you need?"

"Well, Mike and Tim have this stupid bet between them. There are sitting in the van each in a different bench and whoever you choose to sit with wins the bet. Stupid, I know. But here's the favor. Could you sit in the last bench with Alex?" Susan begs.

"Are you kidding me? That's a HUGE favor to ask me after what he said to me yesterday."

"I know and we wouldn't even mention it but we have been looking forward to this trip for a while, mostly for the trip to and from so we could sit next to them. We both kinda have crushes on them." Katie says a little embarrassed. I know how that feels. So of course I do what I always do and suck it up for the sake of my new friends.

"Sure I guess. We girls have to stick together right? But you both owe me big time." I figure if I just sleep in the van it won't be too bad.

We get to the van and the side door is open and I see three bench seats, each one occupied with boy. Two are looking at me with a big stupid grin on his face and the third in the back is stretched out along the entire seat, asleep. I look back to the girls to make sure they still wanted to put me through this and they stare and me with pleading eyes. I turn back toward the van and groan. I climb into the van and go to the back seat. I grab Alex's feet and swing them off onto the floor with as much force I can muster. That wakes him up. He looks at me bewildered while I sit down next to him without a word. Mike and Tim look at each other, confused by my seat choice. I still say nothing. Alex then leans toward me and asks "What are you doing?"

"Sitting"

"I see that, but why"

"Because standing in this vehicle would be uncomfortable."

Guardian Bloom takes the opportunity to let everyone know why I'm coming along. "Rose is coming on this trip for two reasons. One, she has been through hell and back in Spokane and can use some fun and sun." As soon as he mentions Spokane, I think of Mason and flinch. My hand automatically touches the back of my neck where my marks are. I notice out of the corner of my Alex looking at me concerned. "Two, she beat me in our training session yesterday so she earned it."

"I think you might have been holding back a little, but thanks anyway." I tease.

"Rose, you should know by now I never hold back." he says with a sexy tone and a huge grin on his face. Oh no. Did everyone hear the double meaning in that comment or is it just me? Everyone slowly turns to look at me with surprised look in their eyes and I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. Shit! I look at Alex and he looks like he is about to start laughing. I have to try to diffuse the situation.

"Surely I don't know what you mean." I say looking at Bloom with pleading eyes. Hopefully he gets the message.

"When I fight, Rose. I never hold back." He says still grinning and laughing a little.

"Well then I guess I did kick your ass. Yeah me." Hopefully someone will change the subject.

We start to drive off and everyone is talking about how much fun they're going to have. Except the back seat. Then Alex interupts our silence.

"Rose, I would like to appologize for what I said yesterday. I shouldn't have said you were on your way to becoming a blood whore. Even though I didn't know I was actually talking to you, I know that most of what Jesse says is crap. I pretty much knew he was lying. I never should have said that."

"Well, thanks. I accept your appology. Do you still believe women shouldn't be guardians?"

"Kinda yea. Guardian numbers are so low. The only way to increase our population, unfortunately is through reproduction."

"That isn't necessarily true, but I don't really want to have this discussion right now. Maybe we could talk another time? If you promise to keep an open mind?" Maybe I can change his views and then he might be a decent guy.

"Sure. That sounds great. Are we friends now?"

"No. I'm not ready for that. But I don't hate you anymore." I say with a smile.

"Okay. At least that's a step in the right direction. I'll take what I can get." he laughs.

"I don't want to be rude but I'm kinda tired. Do you mind if I put my iPod in and try to take a nap?"

"No. Go right ahead. I plan on getting some sleep too."

I put in my earbuds, wrap my arms around my waist, put my head back against the seat and drift off to sleep.

All of a sudden I am back at the Spokane house with Isaiah and Elena. They are coming toward me with their fangs showing and hunger in their eyes. Then Mason appears and runs toward them. I start to scream "Mason! No! Get out! Mason! Please Mason get out!" Just as Isaiah grabbed Mason's neck everything went black and I feel someone's hands on me shaking my shoulders. Then I hear a frantic voice "Rose, wake up. Rose!"

I open my eyes and see Alex staring at me with a frantic look on his face. He is still shaking me.

"Alex stop. What are you doing?"

"What am I doing? You were screaming in your sleep, having a nightmare I guess." Oh no. How embarrassing.

"I'm sorry. I haven't had one for about a week and I thought they stopped. Sorry to wake you."

Katie looks at me concerned "Rose, yesterday when you said a friend of your died in Spokane, was his name Mason?"

"Yeah, he came back in the house to get me even after I told him not to." My eyes start to sting, but I blink back the tears threatening to fall. No way was I going to cry in front of them, especially Alex. Nobody said anything after that.

Luckily, a few minutes later we reached our destination. We crawled out of the van and I took a deep breath of the fresh sea air. Ahh, I love the beach. We pull the surf boards off the top of the van. Susan had brought her old board for me to use. I follow the group down to the water. Now I've never actually surfed before but I knew I could catch on pretty quick. I was pretty athletic being a Dhampir and all. The girls were flirting with Mike and Tim so I knew they wouldn't be teaching me anything. After what happened yesterday in the gym, I wasn't sure how comfortable I was with Bloom being that close to me in my little bit of cover. But he was right there next to me already explaining how to use the board.

He behaved himself pretty well. I wonder if Dimitri said anything to him? Also, Alex seemed to be staying pretty close to us and watching us a lot. A couple times I noticed Bloom got a little closer than necessary and let his touch linger a little too long. He was a good teacher though because after about an hour I was standing on he board by myself. We paddled out to catch a wave and I actually rode it in pretty well. It wasn't a huge wave but I'm just getting started. It was so much fun I totally forgot about all the problems in my life right now. This was exactly what I needed.

About a half hour before we needed to pack it in, I paddled out to over where Alex was waiting for a good wave. He looked over at me and looked me up and down. Typical guy. "Are you sure you never surfed before? You're a natural."

"Thanks. I like doing things that involve a little danger. You sould have seen Mason and me on the slopes last month. We got in so much trouble for the crazy stunts we were doing." I laughed at first but then thinking of Mason made me sad again.

"Hey, I'm sorry about your friend. If you ever want to talk about it.." and just then a huge wave came up and knocked me off my board because I wasn't paying attention. As I went down I breathed in a huge gulp of water. The wave just pounded me farther and farther down. I didn't know which way was up. Then eveything went black.

The next thing I know, I am coughing up all sorts of salty water. I look up to see the most beautiful blue eyes I ever saw looking down at me. Am I dead? Am I looking at an angel? They were so close that they filled up my entire vision. "Rose! Oh God Rose, are you alright?!" It was Alex's voice and he sounded terrified. Nope, no angel. I tried to tell him I was fine but my throat hurt too badly to speak, so I just nodded my head.

The other were all around me, too, looking at me with worry. After I get a few deep breaths in me I try to sit up. They all help me up. I shouldn't have done that. My head just started pounding. I put my hands up to try to push the pain away but it doesn't work. When I open my eyes again, I see someone familiar standing a few feet away from Alex looking down at me. Oh no. It's Mason. I must have swallowed a lot of sea water because I'm hallucinating.

"Rose can you stand up?" Guardian Bloom has his hand under my arm as he pulls me up to my feet. I look over to him and nod and then to where Mason was standing but he is gone. My headache was still going strong though. They all helped me into the van. Alex let me put my legs on his lap while I lay back along the seat and went to sleep. Lissa is going to freak when she finds out. And Dimitri, I wouldn't be surprised to see him tomorrow dragging me back to St Vlads so he can lock me in my room so I don't kill myself before graduation. Why can't I go anywhere without flirting with death?

**I hope you liked this chapter. Please review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Keep the reviews going. I'm glad my story is so well received. Have a great Holiday!**

**And I don't own any part of Vampire Academy.**

**Alex POV**

My alarm woke me up much earlier than usual this morning. I was a little disappointed though that my dream girl didn't visit my dreams last night. Probably because the flesh and blood version showed up at my school yesterday, and kicked my ass. Rose Hathaway. The most vocal, opinionated, hot-tempered, sarcastic, bad-ass, and breathtakingly beautiful novice this world has ever known. You would think that I would be thrilled, and I am. Except that I screwed up majorly and got on her bad side. Now she hates me. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her. My mind has been racing trying to figure out how to redeem myself. What ever plan I think of though requires her actually listening to me which will be difficult since she won't even acknowledge my existance right now. Well, maybe she needs time to cool off.

Well, it's a good thing that I will be gone all day on the surf trip. Maybe being away from her all day will allow me to get a grip and start thinking of something else. Anything else. I get up, shower and dress and head down to the van. I help the guardians taking us load up the surf boards. I notice that we are taking an extra board. Guardian Bloom says that we will have an extra student coming with us but doesn't say who. Oh well. Since I am the first novice there I claim the back seat for myself and lie down to get in some extra z's before we get to the beach.

I am suddenly awakened when my legs are thrown off the seat. I open my eyes to see who the hell disturbed me when I see Rose sitting down next to me. What. The. Hell. My heart picks up the pace. On one hand I am thrilled she is here and the other, I'm afraid I'm going to dig myself into a bigger hole. I look to the seats in front of my and see Mike and Tim with confused looks on their faces. Okay,I'm not the only one. She hasn't said a word yet and it doesn't look like she plans on volunteering any explanation. I lean close to her and decide to just ask. "What are you doing?"

"Sitting." she said dryly. Well that's stating the obvious.

"I see that, but why?"

"Because standing in this vehicle would be uncomfortable." I'm never going to get a straight answer so I stay quiet.

Guardian Bloom then decides to let the rest of us know what is going on. "Rose is coming on this trip for two reasons. One, she has been through hell and back in Spokane and can use some fun and sun." I notice her flinch and touch her neck when he says this. The look on her face looks pained and I can't help but want to reach out and take her in my arms and hold her until all her pain and heartache disappear. "Two, she beat me in our training session yesterday so she earned it." The pained face quickly disappears when he mentioned this.

"I think you might have been holding back a little, but thanks anyway." she says with a smirk.

"Rose, you should know by now I never hold back." he says in a way that could be takin many different ways. Not many innocent either. I was surprised an adult guardian would say such a thing to an under-aged student. The others in the van look at Rose in shock. Rose starts to turn a deep shade of red. I don't know if she is embarrassed because he may be just flirting with her or because something actually happened in their training session. She looks at me and I almost laugh at the look of the dangerous Rose Hathaway flustered. I don't actually laugh though. I don't have a death with.

She tries to recover. "Surely I don't know what you mean." She stares at him intently.

"When I fight, Rose. I never hold back." he laughs. Yeah, I definately think something is going on with them and I don't like it.

"Well then I guess I did kick your ass. Yeah me." She tries to sound nonchalant but I don't buy it.

She doesn't say anything else for a while. I figured I wouldn't have a better opportunity to redeem myself than now when she couldn't get away from me. Here goes nothing. "Rose, I would like to appologize for what I said yesterday. I shouldn't have said you were on your way to becoming a blood whore. Even though I didn't know I was actually talking to you, I know that most of what Jesse says is crap. I pretty much knew he was lying. I never should have said that."

She looks at me right in the eyes for a few moments. Probably trying to see if I am sincere. "Well, thanks. I accept your appology. Do you still believe women shouldn't be guardians?"

Oh great. Not this conversation again. I so don't want to get into another fight, but I don't want to lie to her either. "Kinda yea. Guardian numbers are so low. The only way to increase our population, unfortunately is through reproduction."

"That isn't necessarily true, but I don't really want to have this discussion right now. Maybe we could talk another time? If you promise to keep an open mind?" Did she just say she wanted to talk to me? At another time? Like maybe a date? This is going better than I hoped.

"Sure. That sounds great. Are we friends now?" Oh please say yes.

"No. I'm not ready for that. But I don't hate you anymore." she smiled. She actually gave me an honest smile. I think I might be able to make her see that I am a good guy after all. But I better not push it.

"Okay. At least that's a step in the right direction. I'll take what I can get." and I laugh to keep the mood light and happy.

"I don't want to be rude but I'm kinda tired. Do you mind if I put my iPod in and try to take a nap?" I want to keep talking to her and see her smile some more but I better quit while I'm ahead.

"No. Go right ahead. I plan on getting some sleep too." With that she quickly falls asleep.

Feeling tired myself I close my eyes and smile thinking about how close she is to me. I wake up a while later and notice she leaning on my arm with her head on my shoulder. I try not to move an inch for fear that I will disturb her and she will move away from me. Unfortunately I also realize that my arm is asleep and getting very uncomfortable. I stealthfully move my arm out from under her and lay it lightly around her shoulders as she then leans against my chest. I would love for her to always sleep snuggled against me like this. I stay there silently just feeling her warm breath against my skin, the smell of her shampoo lingering all around me and the sound of the cute little whimpers escaping her lips as she sleeps. Then I notice the whimpers aren't so cute anymore. They are getting louder and her breathing is becoming ragged and faster. Then she starts talking in her sleep. "Mason." No, I'm Alex. Not Mason. Who the hell is Mason? Maybe she has a boyfriend at her old academy. "Mason. Please." Okay this is getting a little ackward. Then she screams "No. Get out!" Now I'm getting scared. This is deffinately not a romantic dream. This sounds like a very bad nightmare. The others wake up to Rose's screams and look at me to do something.

I grab her shoulders and try to shake her awake. She just keeps screaming for this Mason guy. I try to shout above her screams while I continue to shake her. "Rose, wake up. Rose!" She is really scaring me.

She finally stops screaming and opens her eyes. "Alex stop. What are you doing?"

"What am I doing? You were screaming in your sleep, having a nightmare I guess."

"I'm sorry. I haven't had one for about a week and I thought they stopped. Sorry to wake you." I didn't bother telling her I was already awake and memorizing every little detail of her being.

"Rose, yesterday when you said a friend of yours died in Spokane, was his name Mason?" Katie asked. I hadn't heard any of the details of what happened. Wow. She really did go through hell.

"Yeah, he came back in the house to get me even after I told him not to." She looks like she is about to cry but I can see she is determined not to. She is a lot stronger than most people I know. I think the others see her trying to stay in control and decide not to say anything else about it.

Luckily we didn't have to be quiet for long because we finally made it. We unload the boards and head down to the beach. I was going to offer to teach Rose how to surf but I wasn't fast enough. Guardian Bloom was already there telling her all the ins and outs. I don't know what it is, but I don't trust him around Rose. The way he looks at her and talks to her gives me the creeps. After learning just a little bit about what Rose has gone through not too long ago, I have this need inside me to make sure nothing else bad happens to her. So I stay close to them and watch them as much as possible. I think he knows what I'm doing because he has givin me the mind-your-own-business glare a few times. Unlikely. He is getting a little too friendly for my taste. Luckily she seems to catch on quick and doesn't need his assistance anymore.

As I watch her I notice that she seems to be having fun. She looks really happy. I think this trip was a blessing for her. I can't help smile at the look on her face. I wish this day could last forever for her.

It was getting close to the time we had to leave but I wanted to ride just one more good wave. As I am sitting on my board waiting, Rose paddles up next to me. I look over at her and notice for the first time what she is wearing. It's a cute little two piece that looks fabulous on her. It shows off her strong beautiful body in the best way possible. I can't look away. I see that she notices my staring so I try to say something. "Are you sure you never surfed before? You're a natural."

"Thanks. I like doing things that involve a little danger. You sould have seen Mason and me on the slopes last month. We got in so much trouble for the crazy stunts we were doing." Suddenly all the happiness that was on her face just moments before vanished. This Mason guy must have meant a lot to her. Maybe he was her boyfriend.

I want her to know that I can be her friend and shoulder to cry on. "Hey, I'm sorry about your friend. If you ever want to talk about it.." Before I can finish I am knocked off my board by a huge wave. I manage to get to the surface and I look around to see if Rose is okay. I don't see her. Oh God. I start to panick. I swim over to wear she was and dive down to look for her. On my second trip down, I brush up against her arm. I grab it and quickly swim to the surface. I wrap my arm around her and swim to the beach and pull her out of the water.

She's not breathing and her lips are turning blue. Oh Rose, don't do this to me. I just found you. You can't leave me now. I perform CPR and roll her over to try to get the water out of her lungs. I roll her back over to her back and do mouth to mouth again. My mind is swirling with fear. Suddenly she starts to cough up the water she inhaled. She finally starts to breath. I lean over her to see her eyes open and stare into mine. "Rose! Oh God Rose, are you alright?!" I hope she doesn't hear the terror in my voice. She opens her mouth to speak but nods her head instead.

The others have finally noticed what was happening and ran over to us and surround Rose. She starts to breath deeper to my relief. I think she'll be okay. She tries to sit up and gets help from Susan and Tim. As soon as she does she gets a pained look on her face and grabs her head with her hands. She opens her eyes and looks at something behind me. I turn to see what she is looking at but I don't see anything. Guardian Bloom then tries to help her to her feet. We all help her into the van. I grab a blanket from the back of the van and lay it on her to keep her warm as she lies out on the seat. I sit down on the seat with her legs on my lap. I stare at her the whole trip back as she sleeps making sure she is still breathing. I find myself slowly rubbing her legs over the blanket as I think about how I almost lost her. I hope this isn't typical for her. She definately makes life interesting.

When we get back to school, I carry her to the infermory. She tries to protest but her throat must be sore because she can barely whisper. "Rose, it will be much faster if I carry you. The sooner we get there, the sooner you can get back to your room to rest." Thankfully she sees my logic and surrenders.

Dr. Egorov shows us where he wants me to lay her down. I sit down in the seat closest to her bed and put my clasped hands on the bed next to hers. I actually wanted to hold her hand but I wasn't sure how she would react to that. The others stand all around her. He examines her and then asks guardian Bloom what happened. "Rose was taken under by a wave and Novice Black found her, pulled her to the beach and performed CPR until she started breathing again."

Rose looked over to me with a confused look on her face. "You saved me?" she whispered. I just shrugged my shoulders and gave her a little grin. The confused look slowly faded and she smiled at me. Then she reached out her hand and put it on top of mine.

Dr Egorov said that Rose was fine to go to her room if she promised to stay in bed and rest all day tomorrow, which was fine since it was Sunday. Guardian Bloom then cleared his throat."There is nothing else for you all to do here. Go to your dorms and I'll make sure Rose gets to hers."

I still wasn't comfortable with him and apparently Rose wasn't either because she quickly squeezed my hand as if trying to keep me with her. "If you don't mind, I would like to help you take Rose back to her room."

"Alex, I am more than capable of helping her. Now I order you to go to your dorm and get some rest. You've been through a lot yourself." I can't disobey a direct order.

Rose sits up and swings her legs around the bed and stands up still holding my hand. She then takes her arms and wraps them around my shoulders and pulls herself close to me. I automatically put my arms around her waist and hug her tight. She whispers to my ear "Thank you" and squeezes tighter. My heart starts beating a mile a minute feeling her arms around me.

"Anytime" I say. "But Rose, Can you be more careful from now on? I don't think I can handle anymore of this." I try to sound light hearted but I think she sees through that. She readjusts her arms to pull me even closer if that were possible and nestles her head in the crook of my neck. We hold each other tight for what seems like hours until we are interupted by someone coughing to get our attention. She grazes her nose along my neck and jawbone as she lifts her head and pulls out of our embrace. She smiles again and then waves goodbye to me and the others and she is led away back to the dorms. I quickly walk back to my dorm room before anyone can see me break down from all the emotions I have been through today. I crash on my bed and think of everything that has happened since I first saw her yesterday in class. Before she came I was content and focused. Now I feel flustered and vulnerable and blissfully happy. I haven't even known her for two days and already I can't live without her. Rose, what have you done to me. I can't wait to see her again.

**I hope you liked it. Have a very Happy Holidays everyone! Don't forget to review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Your reviews are very inspiring to me so keep them up! I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Of course, I don't own any part of Vampire Academy.**

**Rose POV**

Guardian Bloom led me back to my room after the doctor released me with the instructions to rest all day tomorrow. Since it's Sunday, that was pretty much what I was going to do anyway. We didn't talk the whole way there. We got to my door and I turned to face him to say thank you when he immediately put his hand behind my neck and pulled me in for a very intense and hungry kiss. I couldn't believe it. I put my hands on his chest and pushed him away with all my strenth. It wasn't much after what I had been through today, but it was enough to get him off me. The last thing I wanted to do right now was make out.

He looked at my bewildered. "What's wrong Rose?"

"What's wrong?! I nearly drowned today. I'm exhausted and sore and I just want to lay down and sleep for the next 24 hours." I barely managed to get out because my throat felt like I gargled sand.

"Well why didn't you just say so. Come on. Let's get you into bed." he said with a smirk. Was he serious? He was definately making me a little on edge with his boldness.

"I don't need your help. I'm a big girl you know." I scowled.

"I know you're a big girl Rose. How can anyone not notice? I notice all the time." he said as he put his hands on my hips and pulled me closer to him.

Okay this is getting weird and out of control. Usually with any other guy I would break his nose. But he was a teacher and I was physically weak right now. I need to get him out tactfully without leading him on.

"Do you think you could go get me a soda? I think the carbonation would do wonders for my throat." I asked with a little smile.

He smiles wider and starts walking toward the door. "Anything for my Rose." He walks out the door. _My_ Rose? _My_ Rose? Since when am I _his_ Rose. We had one kiss and now I apparently belong to him. This is not good.

I quickly undress and put on some sweatpants and a big t-shirt and crawl into bed. I wanted to take a shower first but I didn't think I had enough time.

I hear the my door opening up and I close my eyes and pretend I am already sleeping. I hear him put something down on my nightstand, probably my soda. Then I feel his hand brushing my hair off my face very gently. Then he whispers close to my ear, "My sweet Rose, what am I going to do with you?" Then he kisses me very gently on my cheek. A few moments later I hear the door open and then close. I stay still for a few moments to see if I can still hear him in my room. When it seems quiet, I open my eyes and see that I am all alone.

I don't know why I feel so nervous around him now. I did kiss him yesterday and I enjoyed it. But as soon as it was over, I knew it couldn't happen again. If I was going to make out with a teacher, I would've stayed where I was. I was trying hard not to flirt with him or lead him on but apparently I didn't do a good enough job. Maybe if I just stay away from him for a while, he will get the hint. It shouldn't be too hard since field experience starts Monday and I won't have any classes. Okay, that sounds like a plan: avoidance.

I slept and slept and slept. By the time I woke up it was already dinner time on Sunday. As I sat up and stretched, I felt so much better. Rest was definately what I needed. As I got up to use the bathroom, I glanced at myself in the mirror. Oh no. I looked like death warmed over. I grabbed some clothes and a towel and ran to take a shower. As soon as I opened my door, Guardian Bloom was in the doorway.

"Good morning sunshine. Or rather good evening. I'm glad to see you're up." he said cheerfully.

"I was just on my way to take a shower and get the smell of the ocean off me." I said nervously. I wasn't sure how he would respond.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I'll go get you something to eat in the meantime." He then turned around a walked away. Huh. Maybe I was being paranoid yesterday. He seems perfectly normal today. I took an extra long shower letting the hot water ease all the tension from my muscles. I felt so nice.

I walk back to my room and see a plate full of spaghetti and garlic bread sitting on my desk. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I smelled the wonderful aroma. I immediately dug in barely stopping to breath. I was so focused on the food I didn't realize I wasn't alone. I heard a chuckle from across the room and look over to see Guardian Bloom sitting along my bed. "I guess you were hungry."

"I guess so. Thanks." I say with my mouth half full of food. I finish my plate and wait for him to say something but he doesn't. "Well since I'm feeling better, I'm going to go find Katie or Susan and see what's going on with the rest of the world."

"Actually Rose I was hoping we could spend some time alone together. You always seem to be surrounded by people. I never get you all to myself." He patted to the space on the bed right next to him suggesting I come sit next to him. I don't think so. I stay right where I am.

"We were together yesterday at the beach." I remind him.

"Yes and that was fun but we weren't alone. At least not as alone as I wanted to be."

I see now that I need to make it clear that there can be nothing between us.

"Guardian Bloom..."

"John. Call me John. No need to be so formal." He tells me.

"Guardian Bloom," I emphasize. "I think we need to keep our relationship purely professional. You're my teacher and I'm your student and anything other than that is wrong."

"Sometimes being wrong just feels so right." he grins. This is going to be harder than I thought.

"I don't want that kind of relationship with you." I try to be as blunt as I can.

"You sure wanted it the other day when you were all over me."

"Yeah, well, now I don't. And for the record, you kissed me remember?"

"I remember you kissing me back." He says seductively.

"You're right. I did. I shouldn't have, though. Now I just want to be left alone." I walk over to the door and open it and wait for him to get the hint and leave. He slowly gets off the bed and walks over to me.

"My sweet Rose." he says as he puts his hands on the sides of my face. "I know you don't really mean what you're saying right now. You're just confused from all the excitement from yesterday. But I'll leave you for now." He leans down and kisses my forehead. I try to move away but he tightens his grip to keep me still. He then walks out the door.

Okay, now I'm starting to get worried. He seems a little off balace. I need to talk to Lissa. I grab my phone and dial her number.

"Hey Rose. It's about time you called." she sounds a little annoyed.

"Sorry Liss. I had a little accident at the beach and I just woke up about an hour ago."

"Oh God. What happened?"

"I just got knocked over by a wave and almost drowned. If it wasn't for Alex, I don't think I would be talking to you right now. But he did save me and after a day of rest I am fine, so don't worry Lissa." I know that won't stop her.

"You did what?! You almost drowned?! Rose, are you trying to kill yourself? It seems you can't go anywhere and not get into some kind of trouble." she yells.

"I know. I was thinking the same thing. But, I must have a guardian angel because I'm still here."

"Yes. More than one I'm sure. It seems the newest one is Alex? What's he like?" I think she wants to get away from talking about my almost death.

"I'm not really sure. Yesterday I thought he was an arrogant jerk who thought females should just be walking incubators. But on the trip yesterday, I saw a softer side to him. I think he might have a little crush on me. And when I found out he was the one to save me, I don't know. I could actually start to crush on him. As long as we don't talk about a certain topic." Yeah, I was definately starting to see him in a better light. I just hope he doesn't disappoint me.

"Well Rose, maybe you just need to help him see the light. Use compulsion on him if you need to."

"Umm, Lissa. I can't use compulsion. I'm not Moroi." I state the obvious.

"Rose, you have your own form of compulsion that most men can not resist. Especially if they already have feelings for you. I like to think of it as Rose Compulsion." she laughs. She does have a point. At least it will be fun trying to convince him to see things my way.

"Okay Lissa. I'll see what I can do. I gotta go. Say hi to everyone for me, okay?"

"Will do. And Rose. Please don't almost die anymore."

"I'll do my best. Bye Lissa."

"Bye Rose."

Crap. I wanted to talk to her about Guardian Bloom's odd behavior but I got all caught up thinking about Alex, I forgot. Oh well. Next time.

**Well I hope this chapter is alright. It is kinda a filler. The next chapter should be better. Rose gets her field experience assignment, with a twist. Have a Happy Holiday everyone!**


	10. Chapter 10

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. My gift to you is this next chapter. haha. I hope you like it.

As always, I don't own Vampire Academy.

Rose POV

It's finally Monday morning. The day we start the field experience and find out which Moroi student we would be guarding for the next 6 weeks. I was walking to the gym with Susan and Katie as they were talking about who they hoped they got and who they hoped they didn't get. Since I just got here, I had only one preference, not Jacob Zeklos. I knew he would just harrass and annoy me the whole time.

At breakfast, I had told them about what Guardian Bloom said to me yesterday and they agreed with me, his behavior is getting scarry. Katie said that she had come to visit me when I was recovering but he had forbidden any contact with me with no explanation. No wonder my friends didn't come by. I had been a little hurt no one came, but now I know why. So we came up with two plans to deal with him. Plan A is to avoid being alone with him at all costs. They said they would stay with me when they could. Plus, with the field experience I would always be with my charge, so that will help. In the event that Plan A fails, we have Plan B, beat the crap out of him. I hope it doesn't come to that, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

We enter the gym and go to take a seat on the bleachers with the rest of the novices. I look in the crowd to see if Alex is here yet. I haven't seen him since I left the infermory and I wanted to talk to him. My heart sank a little when I couldn't find him. On the stage, the guardians were there to talk us through what we would be doing and give our assignments. Guardian Bloom was there too and he was staring right at me. Talk about uncomfortable. I told my friends that I was going to move somewhere out of his line of sight and they understood. As I walked down the rows, I saw Alex. My heart picked up a little and I felt myself smile. He was talking to someone when I walked up so he didn't see me when I climbed up the steps and sat behind him. He was pretty tall so I figured I could use him like a shield so Guardian Bloom couldn't watch me.

I really wasn't trying to listen in on his conversation, but when your name comes up, you just can't help it. "I heard Rose was pregnant with Ivashkov's baby so they sent her here to keep it quiet." the guy next to Alex told him. I rolled my eyes and leaned in close between them.

"You know, you should really make a habit out of making sure the person you are gossiping about isn't sitting right behind you." I whisper with a little laugh. Alex looks at me shocked and a little fearful. I wonder if he thinks I'm going to attack. "You know" I continue "if you want to know something about me, you could just ask." I smile to let him know that I'm not upset. He lets out a loud breath and smiles.

"Are you sure someone in your condition should be taking part in such strenuous activities?" he joked. I'm glad he realizes the rumor is ridiculous. He looks at me intently and smiles. "You look like you're doing better."

"Much better. Thanks."

"I was hoping you would call me last night, after you woke up.'

"Well I would have if I had you phone number." He looks at me confused.

"I came to visit you yesterday and Guardian Bloom said you couldn't be disturbed so I gave him a note for you with my number in it. He said he would give it to you. I guess I'm not too surprised you didn't get it." Alex must have noticed Bloom's odd behavior yesterday too.

"Yeah, well, that's a whole other situation I need to talk to you about. We need to get together later to discuss some things. If that's okay with you?" I hope that's okay.

"After this is over, alright?" he said. I nodded.

"Can I have everyone's attention." Guardian Sidorov called out to quiet us all down. "You all know why we are here and I am going to assume you read the procedures you were given last week. There is going to be a few changes though." Everyone looked confused and looked around. "Instead of being assigned to one Moroi student, you will get two." What the hell? "You will guard one for the first three weeks and then the other for the last three weeks. That way you get a little more experience dealing with different personalities." Okay, that doesn't seem so bad. "You will also partner with another novice. You will each have the same two Moroi. This way you can practice different guardian techniques since the Moroi will be required to spend some time together to allow you to practice. Also, you and your partner novice can cover each other for short time periods to allow for continued training." That sounds good. I still need to do my conditioning and training and I wasn't sure how I would do it without dragging my Moroi along the track with me. "The last change is that there will be two real world exercises. You will guard your assigned Moroi outside the school in real life situations. Of course, sanctioned guardians will be there for back up." Now that sounds cool.

"Alright, now I will announce the novice partners and then the Moroi assignments. Then come down to receive your packets for each Moroi. First pair is Jack Anderson and Katie Newcomb...."

"I wonder if they are doing this at all the academies?" I ask to no one in particular. The guy sitting next to me decides to answer. "No, I hear this is a pilot program Sidorov thought up and is trying out. If it goes well, it might be implemented everywhere."

"Well then I'm really glad I transferred then. This is going to be fun."

"Next novice pair is Alex Black and Rose Hathaway." Oh boy, I'm partnered with Alex. I'm actually really happy about that. He's really good and I'm starting to like being around him. This is going to be way better than I thought. "Your Moroi assignments are Peter Badica and Jacob Zeklos." You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me. Jacob Zeklos. Well, I _was _happy.

"Hey partner, let's go get our paperwork." Alex stood up and held out his hand to help me down the bleachers. He saw the annoyed look on my face as we walked to get our packets. "Don't worry about Jacob. I'll make sure he behaves himself." Wow, could he read my mind?

"Don't worry about it. We have an understanding. And if he forgets, I'll just let my fists remind him." I don't want him to think he has to protect me. "What do you know about this Peter Badica guy?" trying to change the subject.

"He's an oddball. He keeps to himself and acts kinda weird. He talks to himself sometimes and is a little paranoid. He acts like he thinks someone's following him. Always looking around and behind him where ever he goes." His descriptioned sounded familiar to me. I took his packet and searched to see what he specialized in.

"He hasn't specialized." I said quietly mainly to myself. Now I was really excited to meet him. If my hunch was correct, this is going to be very interesting. Since Alex was also going to be guarding him, he would need to know, but I need confirmation first before I said anything to him.

We walked to the dining hall where we were to meet our assigned Moroi and talk about what we expected of each other. Since I didn't know what Peter looked like, Alex went to find him and I went looking for Jacob. Ugh.

I found him flirting with some pretty Moroi girl. "Mr Zeklos, can I have a few moments of your time?" I said as I walk up to him. The girl gave me a dirty look as he smiled at me like he knew he had the upper hand.

"You can have as much time as you want. The more the better." he smirked. This is going to be a long six weeks. At least I'll have Alex to keep me sane. I hope. I grabbed his elbow and led him to the table where Alex and Peter were waiting. He pulled his arm free of my grip and put it around my waist as we walked. Alex saw this and scowled. But before he could get up, I elbowed Jacob hard in the side causing him to bend over in pain. This make Alex smile.

I sat down next to Alex facing Peter. I introduce myself to him and reached out my hand to shake his. He hesitated but shook it without a word. He was tall like all Moroi. He had brown hair that seemed to grow forward and was always in his eyes. He was constantly brushing it aside but it kept falling back. This was going to annoy me to no end. He was pretty shy because he wouldn't even look at me and just kept looking at his hands on the table. Alex explained to them the changes of the field experience. Jacob looked _too _happy about this. So I decided that I needed to lay down the ground rules.

"If I am going to be your guardian, then we need to get one thing straight. I am your guardian and not your property. I'm here to protect you from outside dangers. That doesn't mean I won't hurt you myself if you get out of line." I said this last part looking right at Jacob. He gave me this fake innocent look. "I am not your girlfriend, maid, servant, feeder or messenger. I'm sure Alex feels the same way."

"Yeah, I'm not your girlfriend either." Alex said to Jacob with a laugh.

"Oh Rose, you're taking all the fun out of it. I was planning on having lots of fun with you." Jacob said.

"This is serious. Our careers could depend on how well we do. If I'm distracted because I have to deal with your advances, I could fail. Then not even Alex can save you from what I will do to you. Do you understand?" I say with as much threat I could muster. It must have worked because his smiled faded and he just nodded.

I turned to face Peter. I needed to get to know him better. "So Peter, it doesn't say in the packet I got what magic you specialized in."

He didn't look at me of course but muttered "I haven't yet." He seemed embarrassed. I wanted to make him feel better.

"That's okay. I have a couple friends who haven't either. Are there other things you can do that no one else can? Don't worry. We won't say anything. Will we?" I say the last one looking at Alex and Jacob. They both nod.

"I can use compulsion. Better than anyone else at the school."

"That's good. So can my friends." At that he finally looks me in the eyes. He has nice eyes. Hazel. "Anything else?"

"Well, I can feel what other people are feeling. Like right now, Jacob is feeling attraction for you and annoyance." He stops and gets a big smile on his face. "The first day you walked in here I was practically knocked over by all the intense emotions of lust and jealousy that burst out of every student here." he laughed. I was shocked, but laughed at the obsurdity of it all.

"I would really like you to meet one of my friends. Would you mind if I invited him here to meet you? His name is Adrian Ivashkov."

Jacob starting laughing. "From what I heard, you and he are more than just friends." I just glared at him.

"Well, I actually just met him around Christmas, but I think he would be willing to help me out and come visit."

"Don't delude yourself, beautiful. Adrian doesn't do favors for girls, they do favors for him."

"You don't think if I ask him to come, he will?"

"Why would he go to all the trouble for one girl, even one as sexy as you?" he said confidently. Alex and Peter just sat there listening to our exchange.

"You wanna make a bet?" I asked hoping Adrian's feeling toward me were enough for him to actually make the trip here.

"Absolutely. What do you want to bet?" he asked.

"If I win and Adrian does come here to meet Peter, then when it is my turn to guard you, I get to sleep in your bed while you sleep on the floor. And if you win I'll..."

"You share my bed." he added quickly. Alex gave jacob a scowl and was about to say something when I interupted.

"Fine. But only sleeping. You touch me and you loose a finger. Got it."

Adrian had better come through for me. I might have to use my Rose Compulsion Lissa talked about. I took out my cell phone and dialed his number.

"Hello little dhampir. What do I owe for the pleasure of your call?"

"Hi Adrian. I was wondering if you could fly down and visit me for a few days. I miss you and there is someone here I want you to meet." I flirted.

"Oh really. Don't blame me if I'm a little skeptical."

"I promise if you come I will make it worth your while." I teased. I should feel guilty but there is no way I'm letting Jacob win this bet.

"If I come, you have to promise me some alone time. Let me take you out to dinner." That didn't seem too outrageous. Dinner I could handle.

"Okay dinner. But Adrian, I won't be staying for dessert." Hopefully he gets my meaning.

"Sounds good little dhampir. I'll see you tonight." He then hung up. I smiled my man-eating smile at Jacob.

"I hope you like sleeping on the floor. He's on his way."

"I'll believe it when he gets here." He retorted.

Alex didn't look to happy about my conversation with Adrian but he didn't say anything.

"Alex and I need to pack our bags and we'll meet you here in an hour. We have some things we need to talk about first." Alex and I walked back to the dorms to get our stuff.

We walked to my room first. Since I just got here a couple days ago, I hadn't unpacked so I just had to grab a few loose things around my room. He sat on the edge of my bed watching me. "So what's the deal with you and Adrian. The way you were talking to him on the phone makes me wonder if there is more to it than just friendship."

"Adrian keeps trying to get me to go out with him. If I thought his intentions were pure, I probably would have. but I think we all know why he wants me, and I'm not going to be another notch on his bedpost." This makes Alex smile in relief. "Unfortunately I had to use that against him to get him here." I admit.

"Why is it so important that Peter meet Adrian. They are polar opposites."

"It has to do with magic. I think Peter is a spirit use just like Adrian and Lissa."

"Then why didn't you invite Lissa?"

"Because she has school and Adrian is a 'free-spirit' as he likes to say." Is Alex a little jealous?

I finish packing my bag and turn to look at Alex. I can't help but like the idea of him sitting on my bed. But that first impression of him still lingers and is getting in my way of really liking him. I need to get over this.

"If the dhampir population wasn' as low as it is, would you still feel that women shouldn't be guardians." I just want to get right to the point.

"No. If there were enough guardians to protect all the Moroi, then it wouldn't matter if they were male or female, as long as they could do the job. But because there are so few of us and so many Strigoi, we need to do what we can to replenish our numbers. I don't see a lot of Moroi women willing to deliver dhampir kids. That would be the ideal situation." I see his point.

"What if you are looking at this problem from the wrong angle? Maybe instead of concentrating on increasing dhampir numbers, we should concentrate on depleting Strigoi numbers?" He looks puzzled.

"That's what we are already doing."

"No, we're not. We sit and wait for them to attack us. What if we went out and hunted them down where they are. Not just guardians but Moroi too. Ones that know how to use offensive spells like Tasha Ozera." I don't like her for stealing Dimitri away from me but I do like her ideas for fighting Strigoi.

He gets a thoughful look on his face. Apparently this idea never occurred to him before. "That might work. Change the ratio of Strigoi to Moroi and we could have the advantage. I like it." he smiled. I think I just won him over to my side. Okay, now I think I can start to like him.

I walk over to him and stand in between his knees as he sits on my bed. "I'm sorry I didn't get your message yesterday. I would've called. I wanted to thank you again for saving me out there." I say looking into his amazing blue eyes as I slowly get closer and closer to him.

"Anytime." he says in a low whisper. His eyes shift down to look at my lips that are getting closer to his. Right before I close the gap between us I whisper "My hero" and let our lips touch softly for the first time. As soon as we touch, it is like a lightning bolt shot through my body. His lips are warm and soft against mine. I let him take over as he slowly increases the intensity of our kiss. My hands reach up and wrap around his hair as I pull him down closer to me. His hands are on my hips pulling me in tighter. One hand slowly runs up my back. I try to push myself as close to him as I can. I can feel his heart racing in his chest. We both pull away slightly to catch our breath. I would stay like this all day if I could, but we can't.

I pull away more. "We still have to go get your bags and get back to the others." He looks disappointed but agrees. He picks up my bag and we walk out my door. We get to his room and he quickly gets his things together. Before we leave he pulls me into him and kisses me again. I think I can really get used to this. We spend the next 10 minutes letting our mouths get acquainted. When we part he has the biggest grin on his face. I _know_ I can get used to this.

**I hope eveyone had a wonderful Christmas. Don't forget to review. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Wow! You're reviews are amazing. Please keep them up. As a thank you, here is the next chapter. I hope you like it.**

**And I don't own the Vampire Academy**

**Rose POV**

I feel like I'm floating on air. I never thought I could feel like this after Dimitri. Don't get me wrong. I still love my Russian God. But when he left me to be with Tasha, he broke my heart. Alex is picking up the pieces and putting them back together again. When I kissed him, I swear fireworks were going off. And the best part is, we don't have to hide our feelings for each other. Our relationship is nothing to be ashamed of. I think that was a big part of why Dimitri decided to be with Tasha instead of me. He was ashamed of how he felt about me, but he will never admit it.

Alex and I are walking down the hall to meet with out Moroi assignments, Peter and Jacob, when I remember something I needed to talk to Alex about. "Hey, can we stop a minute? I need to talk to you about Guardian Bloom." There is no one else around so we can have some privacy.

"Sure. What's the deal with you two? He acts real weird around you, and I don't like it." he said.

"Weird doesn't cover it. I admit that on my first day here at our afterschool training, he kissed me. And I kissed him back. But as soon as it was over, I knew it was wrong and promised myself that it would never happen again. And it hasn't. Well, me kissing him hasn't happened again. He kissed me right after we got back from the beach when he walked me back to my room. But I pushed him away and I have been trying to avoid him but he keeps showing up. I told him I didn't want any more than a teacher student relationship but he doesn't seem to get it. He talks to me like I belong to him. I'm not really sure how to handle this." I say all this really fast. Alex seems to be keeping up though.

Alex just stood there silent for a few minutes thinking over what I just spewed out there. "I think I need to go kick his ass." he says calmly as he starts walking away. I quickly grab his arm and stop him.

"I don't need you to do that. I can do that myself, remember? I just wanted you to know what's going on. I just plan to avoid him when I can and when I can't, have someone else with me so I'm never alone with him. If that doesn't work and he tries something, then I will beat the crap out of him."

"So you don't want me to do anything?" he looks confused.

"No, I want you to be with me as much as possible." I say as I walk closer to him and wrap my arms around him. "I want you to kiss me and hold me when ever we have a private moment together. Because for the next six weeks, they will be few and far between." I reach up on my tippy toes and kiss him. He smiles against my lips.

"I think I can handle that." He kisses me even harder. The he pulls away suddenly. "Uh oh. I think I left my cell phone back in my room. Stay here I'll be right back." He gives me a quick peck on the lips and then runs down to his room.

I lean against the wall with my eyes closed thinking about being with Alex when I feel someone close to my face. At first I think it's Alex but it doesn't feel right. I open my eyes to see Guardian Bloom inches from my face, smiling, with his arms braced against the wall trapping me there.

"My sweet Rose. I've been looking for you. I wanted to talk to you about your training sessions." he says.

"That's okay. I think with all the fighting I'll be doing with the fake Strigoi attacks, I won't really need any extra training. Besides I can spar with the other novices if I need to." I hope he just lets it go.

"Nonsense. I still have lots of moves I want to teach you." he says seductively.

"I don't want to learn any moves from you. I just want you to back off. Why can't you get it through your thick skull. Leave. Me. Alone!" I yell in his face as I push him away. As soon as I do this, Alex shows up and stands between me and Bloom.

"You will never touch her again! Do you understand?" Alex was furious.

"Novice Black, how noble of you to come to Rose's rescue, again. But it really isn't necessary. Rose and I are meant to be together. She wants me too." He states as if it is totally obvious.

"Are you delusional? I don't want you. If you don't leave me alone, I will do some serious damage to your face." I threaten.

"Oh Rose" he chuckles "I new the moment I saw you that you were the woman for me. I know deep down you feel the same way about me, too. You'll see in time."

Alex and I just stare at him in disbelief. He really is crazy. I pick up both our bags and hand Alex his while we walk away from Bloom. I say over my shoulder "If you don't leave me alone, I will report you to Guardian Sidorov for harrassment." I hear him laugh lightly to himself as he walks away in the opposite direction.

We meet up with Peter and Jacob and tell them what happened. Since I am going to be around both of them a lot for the next six weeks, they need to know. Jacob seems to find this amusing.

"Rose, you really do drive men _crazy_." he laughs.

Afternoon classes are about to start so Peter and I go to his room to drop off my bag before heading to his first class. Unfortunately, Peter and Jacob only have the last class together so I won't see Alex until then.

I am standing in the back of the class along with two other novice guardians securing the room. The guardians here wasted no time getting started with the field experience. I saw a figure dressed in black sneaking in a back window I was closest to. I quickly grab his shoulders pulling him through the window and throw him on the floor. I punch hard to the face and stun him and then bring my practice stake down over his heart for the 'kill'.

"Good job Rose. You're a lot quicker and stronger than I anticipated." he said rubbing his jaw. I think is name is Rogers, but I'm not sure. The class erupted in applause at seeing the first attack of the year end successfully. I'm feeling really good now. The other novices come up and give me high fives.

As we left class, Peter actually talks to me. "That was really good Rose. I'm glad I have you watching my back." He doesn't look at me when he says this, but at least this is a start. The others classes are uneventful. We get to the last class of the day and I finally see Alex again. I tell him of my successful kill and he gives me a big smile.

"I wouldn't expect anything less." he says.

We leave the class and head to the Moroi dorms. Alex is talking to Jacob so I take up the far guard position keeping my eye on our surroundings. I see a black figure behind a tree not far from me. I call out to Alex to bring his attention to the threat. He quickly gets in front of our Moroi while I hurry to him to help protect them. Another novice that was closer began fighting that 'Strigoi', but out of the corner of my eye I see another black blur running toward me. I turn and kick hard into his chest causing him to stumble back. He quickly recovers and lunges at me. I dodge his attack and punch hard in the face. That's when I notice which guard is dressed in black, Guardian Bloom. He gives me a smile before attacking again. We exchange blows and kicks for about fifteen minutes until he manages to get me on the ground. He is about to go for the kill by 'biting' my neck when Alex kicks him off me and brings his stake down over his heart, getting the kill.

Alex extends his hand and helps me up. "Thanks for saving my life, again. I think you really are my guardian angel." I say trying to catch my breath. "Of course I wore him out first, so you're welcome." I smile.

"Yes you did. Thanks. I have to admit I like watching you fight more than actually fighting you. That was amazing." He beams.

"I think we make a pretty good team."

"Watching you fight getting all sweaty and breathless is totally hot Rose." Jacob smirks. Alex glares at him and I just roll my eyes.

Guardian Bloom walks over to us. "I almost got you Rose. I'm a little disappointed you couldn't take me down yourself. I expect better from you next time. You're not always going to have Black here to help you out." I have a strange feeling I'm going to be fighting him a lot.

Peter and I are sitting alone at a table for dinner because Jacob wanted to eat with his friends and of course Alex had to stay with him. We weren't alone for long when some guy and his friends came up to Peter to invite him to a party in his room that night. "Of course you'll have to bring your guardian along. It'll be fun." He looks over to me "I'll make sure you have a _really_ good time." Peter just looked at me not knowing how to respond. So I do it for him.

"Thanks for the invite, but I think we'll pass. Maybe next time." I try to be polite. He apparently isn't used to being rejected. He must be a royal.

"Are you telling me you would really rather hang out with this nutcase all night than have some fun with us?" I guess I offended him. Good.

"Yep" I say popping the 'p'." and just smile at Peter. He smiles and gives a little laugh as he looks back down at his food.

"Your loss. You don't know what you're missing." The guys smiles at me.

"Actually I do know what I'm missing and I'm perfectly okay with that. Now run along and annoy someone else." I say as I shoo him away with my hands. He and his group turn around and walk off mumbling something. I could have sworn I heard 'stupid bitch' in there. I just laugh.

"You know Rose, that's the first time anyone has ever invited me anywhere." Peter says amused.

"Did you want to go?" I thought the look on his face said 'get me out of this' but maybe I was wrong.

"No no. I just think it's funny that people only notice me because I have a beautiful woman following me around everywhere I go now."

"Yeah, well people suck. And it might not be the last invitation you get. If there is a party you want to go to, just say so. You don't have to decline because you think I might be uncomfortable. I can take care of myself. Besides, your high school experience is almost over. You might as well live it up a little while you still can. I'll be right there with you the whole time if you want." I smile. Maybe all this new attention will help bring him out of his shell.

"Alright. If one comes up I want to go to." He says.

All of a sudden from across the room I hear "Hey Rose. Your baby's daddy is here." I look to see who said that and find Jacob laughing. I'm going to hurt him. I then look to the entrance to see Adrian standing there looking around the room trying to find me. I get up and walk over to him.

"Little Dhampir." His says with his arms open wide. "Oh how I've missed you." I give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. It's the least I can do since he did go out of his way to come here. I notice he doesn't reek of liquor and cigarettes.

"You haven't been drinking?" He almost always has a drink in hand to help with the effects of spirit. So I am a little surprised.

"I know you don't like it very much so I did my best to refrain." That's actually very considerate. I lead him over to the table. I see Alex looking at us with a uneasy look. I signal him to come sit with us. He says something to Jacob who reluctantly stands up and they both come over to our table.

"Adrian, I'm really happy you were able to make it. Let me introduce you. This is Alex Black, my guarding partner. Across from him is Jacob Zeklos his Moroi charge and this is Peter Badica, the one I wanted you to meet." I look at him to see if he can see his aura. Adrian's eyes go wide and he smiles brightly. Then he looks back to me.

"Little Dhampir, you were right. You did make this worth my while. Lissa will be so excited." The rest of the table is looking at us confused. I decide to finally let them in on the situation.

"Peter, the reason I wanted to introduce you to Adrian is because he is a Spirit user, just like you. Hopefully you to can learn more about what spirit can do and teach other what you already know. My best friend Lissa is also a Spirit user. She can heal people." They are still looking at us funny. Spirit isn't a widely known element.

"She can heal people? Will I be able to learn to do that too?" Peter looks really excited.

"Maybe. She's trying to teach me now but I haven't gotten it yet." Adrian tells him. Then he looks at me. "Have you told them about your bond and the effects it has on you?"

"Umm, no not yet." Alex looks at me with concern. "Like I said, Lissa can heal people. She healed me once, actually she brought me back from the dead. In doing that, I became shadow-kissed. It created a psychic bond between us. I can feel all her emotions, I can get inside her head and see and hear everything she does and I also help absorb all the darkness that she gets from using her magic. If I don't, she gets kinda crazy. That's why I get kinda bitchy sometimes."

Jacob laughs at this. "Sure Rose, blame your friend for your bitchiness."

"She gets kinda crazy when she uses the magic, but you help take it away?" Peter asks me and I nod. Then he looks to Adrian. "Do you have a bond with someone too? You don't look crazy to me."

Adrian and I look at each other and laugh. "You could say that. There's Jose Cuervo, Jim Bean, Smirnoff.." Peter must not drink because he looks confused.

"Adrian uses alcohol and cigarettes to help him deal with the darkness that using Spirit produces." I tell him.

Alex finally decides to speak up. "So Adrian, what can you do with magic. Lissa heals and Peter can feel emotions, so what you do?" It almost sounds like he's challenging Adrian.

"Well, I can see people's auras and I can bring people into my dreams when they are asleep. It's a lot of fun, isn't it Rose?" He says suggestively. Alex doesn't seem to like his answer.

"It has it's uses, but it can also be annoying." I say with a smile.

"Have you guys seen Rose when she is in Lissa's head? It's pretty bizarre, especially the first time you see it. It freaked me out." They all shake their heads and look at me. "Why don't you give them a demonstration so they know what you look like and won't freak out when it happens."

"All right. I just hope she's not with Christian right now." I slip into Lissa's head and thankfully she is walking toward the dorms alone. Then she hears footsteps behind her and someone calling to her.

"Princess, may I have a word with you?" It's Dimitri. It's good to hear his voice again. When she turns around to face him, my heart skips a beat. He looks so good.

"Guardian Belikov. How can I help you?" she asks.

"I was just wondering if you have spoken to Rose lately? How is she doing?" I love that he still cares enough to check up on me. I just hope she doesn't tell him about what happened at the ocean.

"She's doing a lot better now, I guess. I swear she is going to give me a heart attack before I'm twenty." she says dramatically.

Dimitri looks at her confused, "What do you mean she's better _now_? Did something happen to her? Did she get hurt?." Lissa realizes her mistake in saying anything by the way he has no clue what she is talking about.

"Oh well, it's nothing really. She just almost drowned on her surf trip on Saturday. But luckily some Alex guy was there to get her out of the water and breathing again. She rested all day Sunday and now she's as good as new. No biggie." She tries her best to sound upbeat but Dimitri isn't buying it.

"How come this is the first time I'm hearing of this?"

This pisses Lissa off. "Maybe because she isn't your student anymore. And she isn't your girlfriend either, remember? You pushed her away to be with someone else." Dimitri looked hurt by this.

"You're right, she isn't my student or my girlfriend, but I still care for her and want to make sure she is safe, Princess."

"Well, from the sounds of it, she has someone else to protect her now." She says just to hurt him. I think Lissa might be taking our break up as hard as me.

He doesn't say anything for a few moments. "Thank you for talking to me Princess. I'll let you continue with what you were doing. Good night."

"Good night Guardian Belikov."

I pull out of her head and look at Adrian. "She was talking to Dimitri and she told him about my accident on Saturday."

"You didn't tell him?" He starts to laugh. "I wouldn't be surprised if you get a phone..." He was interupted by my cell phone ringing. I look at the caller ID and it's Dimitri. Just great.

"Should I answer it?" I ask.

"Unless you want an angry Russian guy showing up in the middle of the night, I would." He chuckles. Alex, Jacob and Peter look at me confused.

"Hello."

"Rose, are you alright? I heard you almost died on Saturday." He sounds a little frantic.

"I didn't die, did I. I'm talking to you aren't I?" I know he still cares but he can't be act like this forever.

"What happened?"

"I just got knocked over by a wave and inhaled some water. Alex pulled me out and did CPR and now I'm fine."

"Why didn't anyone tell me about this?"

"Why do you need to know? What are you going to do about it. What's done is done."

"Roza, I still love you and care what happens to you. I sill want to protect you. Those feelings just don't go away."

"I know, but I have other people around to protect me now."

"Like Alex somebody and Guardian Bloom?" He sounds jealous.

"Deffinately not Guardian Bloom. But Alex has been very helpful in the rescuing me department." I say as I smile to Alex. He just grins.

"Is he your boyfriend now?" He sounds irritated. What a hypocrite. He can move on with Tasha but I'm supposed to die alone?

"I can't have this conversation with you now. I'm being very rude to my friends. I gotta go. Bye Dimitri."

"Another time Rose, Goodbye." I hang up.

"Who exactly were you talking to Rose? An old boyfriend?" Jacob asks. I wasn't going to answer him but Adrian decided to do it himself.

"That was Guardian Belikov, Rose's old mentor." He smiles.

Jacob laughs at this. "What is it with you and your teachers Rose? Or any man that gets too close to you." He says the last part looking at Adrian. "I'm starting to be thankful that you turned me down or I might be just as messed up as them. Be careful Alex." Adrian looks at me waiting for an explanation but I just don't want to go there right now.

"I'll explain later." is all I say.

"Sounds good. How about I meet you tonight? Where would you like to go?" Suggesting he's going to visit my dreams.

"Mmm, how about the ski lodge. That's always nice."

He starts to get up from the table to leave. "I need a drink, so if you'll excuse me" he pauses and looks at me "Unless you'ld like to join me little Dhampir?" he smiles and waits for my reply.

"I'll pass. Good night Adrian."

He walks toward guest housing and I turn around to look at Alex. He doesn't look too pleased. "He's going to see you tonight? In a dream? Should I be concerned?"

"No, it's fine. I just have to talk to him. I need to let him know about what's going on with Bloom. He'll never hurt me okay."

We all start to walk back to the boys dorms. Jacob and Alex are going to the party but first they walk us to Peter's room so Alex can kiss me goodnight. He's so sweet. When we get settled into bed, me on the floor, Peter speaks up. "You know Rose, you have a lot of admirers. Both Alex and Adrian feel love for you. Jacob just feels lust. But Guardian Bloom, he feels possesive with lust mixed in. He also feels jealousy and anger, probably towards Alex. He needs to be careful too. I know what you feel too. But I don't have to tell you that do I? Don't worry. I'll keep you secret about Dimitri."

**I hope you liked it. Don't forget to review. I like to know what you think.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for the reviews. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

**I don't own any part of Vampire Academy.**

Rose pov

I was standing on the patio of the ski lodge where Adrian and I first met. But this time the cold and snow was replaced with sunshine and wild flowers. It was breathtaking. I looked down to see what Adrian has dressed my in. I was pleased to see a cute blue and white flowered sundress. I waited for him to finally reveal himself. "Hey Little Dhampir, don't you look nice. I was trying for wholesome with this dress, but on you it still looks naughty."

"I don't know if that's a compliment or not. But thanks for coming anyway. I need to talk to you about a couple things and with the field experience going on I don't get much privacy."

"Rose, you don't need an excuse to ask me to visit you. I'll come for no reason at all. You know you just need to ask." he says seriously.

"Why is that exactly? Adrian, how do you really feel about me?" Peter said Adrian loved me. I always thought that Adrian just thought of me as a conquest. Just trying to get me into bed simply because I resisted his advances. But if he actually had real feelings for me, well, I wasn't really sure what to do about that.

He looks at me thoughtfully. Then he walks closer to me and puts his hands on my hips. "Do you really have to ask? I didn't realize I was being so vague. I care very much for you Rose. No, more than that. I love you."

My heart races when he finally confesses how he feels. This is a lot to take in. All this time I was reading him wrong. "Adrian, I don't know what to say. I never realized. I always thought everything you did and said was just a line. I mean, how else would I take it. You have quite a reputation for being a player. Going through women like tissue paper. And then add the fact that I'm just a dhampir and your a royal Moroi, that doesn't exactly scream potential serious relationship." I defend myself.

"Rose, you will never be 'just' a dhampir. I'll admit that when I first met you, seeing you naked in my bed with me was my main objective." I chuckle at that. "But as I got to know you, I started wanting to just be around you, naked or not. Then when I saw all the pain you were going through, I just wanted to hold you and make the all the pain and sorrow go away. I would do anything for you Rose. You make life interesting. I will do anything to make you happy and smile. I live for your smiles." I smiled remembering how I felt the same way about Dimitri's elusive smiles.

"Wow. I think I need a little time to process all this new information," He just nods. "But I need to go to a different topic right now. It's about one of the guardians here: Guardian Bloom. He has convinced himself that he and I are in love and he is kinda stalking me. He says inappropriate things and tries to kiss me and now I think he might even try to hurt me."

"Have you told anyone about this yet?" he scowls.

"No not yet. I'm trying to handle it on my own. Well with the help of some friends. So I was wondering if you can kinda stay with me as much as possible during your visit. Since I'm gonna be with Peter all the time, it will give you two time to discuss magic."

"Gee, I don't know Rose. I came all this way but I wasn't really planning on spending any time with you." He says sarcastically. We both laugh. "I'll be stuck to you like glue. I'll even help you scrub you back in the shower." he says as he waggles his eyebrows at me.

"I don't think that will be a problem, but thanks for the dedication."

"Can I ask you something?" He waits for me to answer before asking.

"Sure."

"Is there something going on between you and Alex or Jacob?" I wasn't sure if I wanted to answer him but he has been honest with me so far, it's the least I can do.

"Well, Jacob is just an asshole who likes to annoy me. And Alex, well..." I'm nervous about his reaction. I don't want to hurt him. "We like each other. We've kissed a couple times. Peter says that Alex loves me. He's the one who rescued me from the ocean."

"Do you love him too?" Man, he knows how to get right to the point.

"I don't really know. I think so but I've only known him for what, four days. And I hated him for the first day. I definately have strong feelings for him. Just seeing him makes my day, you know?"

"Yes, I definately know that feeling." he says looking right into my eyes. "Don't forget you promised to let me take you to dinner."

"Is tomorrow night good for you? I can have Alex guard Peter for me while we're gone."

"That sounds wonderful. Think about what I said, alright." I just nod knowing that this whole conversation will haunt my every waking thought. I start to say something when I am jerked out of the dream and back on the floor in Peter's room.

A sound from the door hits my ears. Reflexively, I grab my practice stake that is next to me and I spring up to stand in front of Peter's bed. I see the door slowly creep open. I am poised and ready to attack, waiting for the right opportunity. I see a figure in black trying to sneak in. I immediately kick his face and then gut stunnung him temporarily. Whoever he is grunts loudly as if pissed off. Well, don't disturb my beauty sleep then.

He then lunges at me with all his strength and knocks me hard into the desk. My right hip hits the corner. Son of a bitch! That hurt like hell as I let out a scream. That is going to leave a nasty bruise. Peter has woken up and turned on the lamp. I get a good look at my attacker. It's Guardian Bloom. Why am I not surprised. He has me pinned against the desk and I become aware that I am only wearing boxer style shorts and a form-fitting tank top. His hand reaches down and touches the inside of my bear thigh and starts to run his hand up my leg while he smiles at me. I swing my elbow up and hit his cheek hard enough to make him stumble. I quickly push him off and punch his face again. The anger of the whole situation with him is starting to boil to the surface and I desperately want to hurt him badly. I keep hitting him with almost inhuman strength until I see a lot of blood covering his face. I then knock his legs out from under him causing him to land on the end of Peter's bed. Peter is crouched at the other end watching. I get my chance and bring the stake down over his heart rendering him 'dead'.

By this time I realize there is a crowd of boys in their pajamas or boxers standing outside the door watching. They all start clapping and hollaring. Alex pushes his way through the small crowd to get to me. "Are you alright? You're shaking." I look down at my hands to see that they are trembling violently and are smeared with his blood. All the anger I was feeling starts to fade and I feel tears welling in my eyes. I blink to keep them from falling but as soon as Alex pulls me into his arms, they run down my cheeks. I burry my my face in his chest and start to cry. I just let all the frustration come out as he rubs my back and whispers support in my ears.

The Moroi dorm matron and the guard on duty also come to see what all the comotion is about. The guard sees Bloom bloody on the bed. "What the hell is going on? There weren't any attacks scheduled for tonight."

Bloom pushes himself off the bed wiping the blood off his face with his sleeve. "Since I am in charge of the schedule, I did a little revision. Sorry you didn't get update." He then looks over to me. "That was an improvement, Rose. I quite enjoyed it." He gives me a wicked smile as he leaves the room. I had to hold Alex back as I feel him tense and start to move toward where Bloom just left.

"Alex, no. It's over. I don't need you getting in trouble." I know that there is no use since apparently Bloom has control over the attacks and can claim a legitiamate reason for being here. "At least I did a little damage to his face like I promised." He gave me a small smile.

"You sure did. I can't wait to see what it looks like tomorrow." He leads my over the bed to get me to sit down but when my hip hits the mattress I wince. I immediately stand and pull my shorts up to look at the growing bruise on my thigh. I see the anger in Alex's eyes again as I try to calm him down.

"It's just an occupational hazard. I'm tough remember?" I put my hands on the back of his neck and pull him closer to me and kiss him. I can feel the tension leave his body as he kisses me back. I then hear whistles and laughing in the hall. We still have an audience.

The dorm matron then shoos everyone back to their rooms. "That means you too, Mr Black." He reluctantly pulls away from me and turns to leave.

"I'll see you in the morning." I nod. I look over to Peter still crouched in his bed.

"Peter, are you all right? It's over." He doesn't move. Okay, he's starting to scare me a little. He then turns his head to look at me and his eyes look sad.

"He wanted to hurt you Rose. He was angry and resentful. He wanted to do bad things to you. The feelings are getting stronger. We need to be extra careful."

"We?" I ask about his choice of words.

"Well, yeah. You're my friend. I don't want to see you get hurt. I'm not really sure what I could do against him, but I'll do what I can." He paused and relaxed back down into his bed. I went over to sit on the bed next to him. "You're the first person who didn't see me as a freak. You saw through the craziness and saw, me. Because of you, I know why I am how I am. I'll forever be grateful. I owe you so much."

I smile at him and put my arm around his shoulder and give him a little squeeze. "I have an idea of what you can do to help me if things get too out of hand. You're really good at compulsion, right?" He nods. "Well if I get into a situation with him I can't get out of, and you can manage, try to get him to back off using complusion. Even if it's just enough to distract him so I can get back in control." A huge smile brightens his face. I think he likes this idea.

"I can definately do that. Maybe I should do that before he has a chance to do anything else."

"No don't do that. I know from experience with Lissa that using compulsion like that can bring more darkness, and we don't know how to get it out of you yet. I don't need anymore craziness than I'm already dealing with." I squeeze his shoulders again and smile. He smiles and nods at me.

I clean up the blood on my hip and hands and go to lay back down on my bed on the floor. I have to lay on my good side so I don't hurt my hip. I start to think about everything going on in my life. Let's see. The man I love most in this world doesn't think I'm worth fighting for and has chosen someone else to spend his life with. Someone who I love as a friend has deeper feelings for me than I do for him and I don't see that changing. I have a crazy, obsessed lunatic attacking me at all times of the day and night. I have a new spirit-using friend who hasn't been able to control the effects of using his element. I have an idiot I can't get away from who feels he needs to make sexual comments on everything about me and I miss my best friend Lissa so much. At least I have Alex with me to keep me from losing my mind. I try to push everything out of my mind except Alex as I try to go to sleep. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

**Again I hope you like the chapter and the story in general. Please review and let me know what you think. They make my day. Have a good one.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I think I have the best readers in the world. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my story and leaving such nice reviews. I hope I don't disappoint. Enjoy the chapter.**

**I don't own Vampire Academy.**

**Rose POV**

Oh. My. God. It feels like someone took a sledge hammer and beat the crap out of my hip. It hurts so bad it burns. I try to get up from my bed on the floor, but wince in pain and decide to just lay back down. It isn't worth it. I hear Peter start to stir as he wakes up. He rolls over and looks down on me from his bed.

"Good morning, Rose. Were you able to get any sleep after all the excitement last night? he says while yawning.

"Some. I don't suppose you want to just stay here in bed all day? I won't mind." I try to stifle the yawn he just sent my way.

"Sorry, but I have a test in English Lit today." I groan. Then I here shouting and laughing out in the hallway. I could swear I heard Jacob's name being called. Then someone starting pounding at the door. Peter gets up and answers the door and Jacob practically knocks him over as he barges into the room and stares at me. Alex comes racing in behind him looking extremely annoyed.

"Good morning, Rose. I came to offer to wash your back in the shower this morning. I'm very thorough." he grinned. I just rolled my eyes. What is it with guys wanting to wash a girl's back?

"Sorry Jacob, but Adrian offered first." Both Jacob and Alex frowned at this news. "But since he's not here, I guess I'll have to do it myself. Alex, could you help me up. My hip is killing me." I reach out my hand so he can pull me up. Jacob's eyes get wide and his jaw drops a little. I don't know if it is because of what I'm wearing or my bruise. I don't look at my hip because I just don't need to know how bad it looks.

"Jacob, do you mind. That's my girlfriend you're gawking at." Alex says as he stands in front of me blocking Jacob's view. I smile. I like being refered to as a girlfriend. Dimitri never call me that. He turns around to face me and gives me a big smile. "Good morning." he says as his arms wrap around me. He leans close to me and presses his lips to mine. My morning just got better.

Susan comes by to walk to the showers with me. She is also guarding a male Moroi in this dorm while Katie is guarding some girl named Ann. We kick the boys out of the showers and Alex offers to stand guard so nobody 'accidently' walks in on us. Actually Jacob offered to be our look out first but no one thought he was the most honorable candidate for the job. Susan gasps when she sees my leg, but again, I don't look. It will go away faster if I ignore it, right?

After we're ready, we take Peter and Jacob to the feeders before heading to the dining hall for breakfast. After we get our food and sit down, Adrian comes strolling in.

"Well Rose, from what I hear you can kick ass even when you're sleeping." he chuckles.

"Of course. Did you have any doubt?" I tease

"None at all. Did you tell your boyfriend here about our date tonight?" he motions to Alex.

"It's not a date. It's dinner with a good friend." I say to Adrian. I then turn to Alex. "Could you take over my guarding duties with Peter tonight so I can fulfil my promise of dinner with Adrian?" I look at him with my big puppy-dog eyes that no one can resist.

"I guess, but you owe me." he says as he leans in to give me a kiss. If this is any indication of how he wants to collect, it's a debt I'll gladly pay.

After breakfast, we all walk to the first class, even Adrian. After all, he did promise to stay with me all day. As we're crossing the quad, two black figures come running toward us. Ugh, not again. Alex and I push the three Moroi together and start to attack. I take down my opponent pretty quickly and stand in front of our charges while Alex is still fighting his 'Stigoi'. Alex is really good. He has a very graceful way about him, even with his size. The guardian he is fighting is bigger and stronger than Alex, but not as fast. Alex finally brings him down and 'kills' him.

I walk up behind him and put my hand on his shoulder. "Wow. That was truely amazing." He turns to look at me with a slight laugh.

"You're amazing. You killed your attacker in, what, 10 seconds?"

"Well, that's because I got the little one. That one" I say pointing to the big guardian Alex took down "would've taken me a little longer." he just laughed harder.

Peter and I arrive at his first class just in time. Everyone stops what they are doing to look at me as I take a position in the back of the room. Apparently word has spread of my midnight victory. During the class Guardian Bloom walks in with a clipboard and takes notes as he observes the novices in the room. Unfortunately, he doesn't look as beat up as I had hoped. Damn. At first it seems he doesn't even realize that I am in the room. But then as he is walking by me, he reaches out his hand and pats me in the hip. My sore hip. I clench my jaw not letting any sound escape my mouth. I won't let him know how painful that was. "Very impressive last night Novice Hathaway. I hope you can keep it up for the next six weeks." he says as he keeps walking, never actually looking at me. I get the feeling he plans on pushing me to my limits. I hope I can make it.

Adrian was sitting on the floor reading a book when he witnessed Guardian Bloom touching me. If looks could kill, Adrian would be charged with murder. He starts to get up to follow him out but I catch his eye and shake my head. He gives me a 'are you serious' look and sits back down.

As we are walking to the next class, Adrian takes this opportunity to interigate me.

"Rose, I assume that is the guardian you talked to me about." I nod. "I notice you winced when he touched your leg. Did he hurt you?" He was getting angy again. I thought I controlled my reaction to the pain better than that.

"It's just a little bruise. No biggie."

"Sure it is Rose." He doesn't say anything else about it because he knows it will get him nowhere.

The next few classes are uneventful, thank goodness. Even lunch was pretty peaceful. Then the last class of the day comes around. Alex and I are standing across from each other observing our surroundings when I see two black figures coming through the front door and another trying to sneak in through the window right behind Alex. I shout to worn Alex but the attacker knocks him to the ground. Alex is able to break free and get back to his feet and starts fighting. I run to the one closest to me and immediately kick to the chest. As I go to strike him in the face, he grabs my wrist and he pull me closer. "We meet again, Rose. I owe you for last night." he whispers in my ear. It's Bloom again. He tries to hit my face but I block it and hit him instead. We fight for about five minutes when he rams me into a desk, again, right into my bad hip. It. Is. Agonizing. I scream so loud it hurts my ears. When I look into his eyes, he looks like he is enjoying it. I struggle to free myself from his grasp but he is much stronger than me. Then all of a sudden, he seems to freeze and I take the opportunity to push him off me and stake him. When I turn around, I see Peter staring at Bloom and I realize he was using compulsion on him. I quickly tug on Peter's arm to get him to sit back down and break the compulsion. I'm not sure if anyone else noticed and I didn't want him to get into trouble.

Apparently Bloom knew what had just happened and he looked pissed. "Hathaway, outside now!" I follow him out limping, with Alex and Adrian close behind. Bloom looked back to Alex "Stay and guard your Moroi, Black." Alex looked at Adrian, who just nodded to him and kept walking out of the class. Bloom looked at Adrian, who was now standing by my side, in confusion. "Who are you?"

"I'm her bodyguard. I go where she goes." he says evenly.

"Since when does a guardian need a guardian? Especially a Moroi one?" he smirks.

"Since she has a psycopathic stalker trying to make her life hell. I won't allow it." Bloom seems to find this amusing but he just ignores Adrian and addresses me.

"Hathaway, you cheated in there with the use of compulsion."

"I didn't compell you." I simply state.

"No, but your charge did. The use of compulsion is forbidden."

"If these exercises are supposed to be taken as if they are real life scenarios, then it is allowable since it was self defense." He looks at me confused yet amused by my rationale.

"How was it self defense when I wasn't attacking him, but you?" he challenged.

"Because I am his guardian. If I die, he dies." Take that you jerk. He stands there a minute just looking at me. Then the corner of his mouth turns up into a small smile.

"Alright, Rose. I'll give you this one, but do not do it again. You can't depend on you Moroi like that. You need to learn to fight and kill on your own. Now, go back to class." He then turns and leaves.

I turn to Adrian and give him a hug. "Thanks for standing by me, bodyguard."

"Rose, guarding_ your _body is my pleasure." he smiles. I just roll my eyes as I grab his arm and lead him back into the classroom to resume my duty.

**Alex POV**

After classes are over, Adrian invites Rose and Peter to his room to work on using Spirit. The idea of Rose being in his room doesn't sit well with me, so I invite Jacob and myself along. I can't believe she is going on a date with him. Of course, she doesn't see it that way. But I just don't trust him. I'm not blind. I see the way he looks at her. But I trust Rose and she can handle herself.

She asks him where they are going for dinner and he tells her that they are going to some fancy, royal resort in the dessert. "Well, that might be a problem. I didn't pack anything nice enough to wear to someplace like that. Maybe we should just stay here and have dinner in your room?" She sounds like she doesn't really want to go to this resort place. Good.

"Nonsense. I bought you a dress. It's hanging in my closet. Now go in my bathroom and do whatever it is you women do to make us men drool." He tells her as he pushes her toward his bedroom. She walks into his room and shuts the door.

I walk over to him and stand in front of him with my arms crossed over my chest. "You know you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. Rose isn't impressed by how much money you can throw around. She's with me now. That isn't going to change no matter how much you spend on her."

He looks at me and then a smile slowly grows on his face. "Are you afraid of a little competition? I can give Rose anything she could ever want. I could even give her a family someday. Can you say the same?"

Ohh. Low blow. "I'm not afraid because I know Rose loves me and I love her. And if you hurt her in any way, I will destroy you." I tell him matter-of-factly.

He just laughs softly and goes over to Peter and starts talking to him about magic. I sit next to Jacob on the couch as he watches TV. "When are we leaving? I have better things to do than listen to those two babble about Spirit." I just ignore him.

It was about 44 minutes later when I heard Rose shouting from the other room. "Son of a bitch!" We all run into the room to see what is wrong when we see Rose looking at her reflection in a full length mirror. I don't know why she is so upset. She looks hot! I'm tempted to knock Adrian unconscious and take her out myself. I look over to the other guys and they are drooling all over themselves looking at her too.

"What's wrong. Why are you yelling?" I ask.

The dress is a light green silk with those thin little straps that show off her amazing shoulders. The rest clings to her curves in the best possible way. The dress goes almost to the floor and when she turns to face us, the right side of the dress has a slit that goes all the way up to her hip. Then I realize why she's upset. Her bruise on her leg is really big and obvious. I still think her legs are gorgeous even with the black and blue mark. "I can't go out in public with this." she points to her bruise.

"Well, I know I'm not very good yet, but maybe I can try to heal it. It might not disappear completely, but I might be able to improve it a little. Couldn't hurt to try." Adrian suggests. She thinks about it for a second, but then agrees. He kneels down in front of her and puts one hand on her bruise and the other on the inside of her leg, right above her knee. I don't like the way his is touching her but I say nothing, but watch him intensly. He sits there concentrating for what seems like forever with no change.

Jacob all of a sudden starts laughing. "Dude, are you really trying to heal her or just copping a feel? Cause nothing's happening." Rose's face starts turning red and she steps away from his hands.

"Sorry, I really was trying. I guess I'm just not there yet." He tries to defend himself. I don't really buy it.

"No problem. Why don't you get ready. Are any guardians coming with us?"

"No. Just you and me, Babe." he smiles. I really don't like him.

"Well then, I'm going to go see if I can get a real stake to take with me. Just in case."

"I'll go with you." I tell her. "I don't want you alone with Bloom out there. Expecially with you looking like this." She shakes her head while she laughs.

"What about those two?" she motions to Peter and Jacob.

"They'll have to come with us. Come on. Let's go." We all head out the door following Rose. When we get outside, she grabs my hand and pulls me to her right side. I think she wants me to block her leg. Doesn't she realize that no one notices the blemish when she is wearing that dress? We have to walk through the dining hall to get to the guard office to get a stake. Dinner is just starting so it is pretty full. They way that everything went silent and all eyes turned on us, you would think that the Queen came in the door. Even though I can't really blame them for staring at Rose, I don't like it. I tense up and squeeze her hand tighter. She notices and looks up to me and smiles. She pulls my hand down so I am forced to lean closer to her and she kisses me in front of everyone. I swear you could hear every person in the room gasp at the same time. Then there was a few whistles and 'Alright, Black' and 'Get a room'. Rose didn't seem to be bothered at all. She stood tall and proud and walked right through the room as if no one else was there. God, I love this woman.

When we got to the guard office, Guardian Sidorov is there. "I hear Lord Ivashkov is taking you off campus for personal reasons tonight Ms Hathaway." He looks a little confused since we are still holding hands.

"Yes, he is. That is why I am here. He tells me no guardians are coming with us, so I would like a silver stake to take with me. Just in case." He looks at her and considers her request for only a moment, and then nods.

"I agree, that would be wise." He turns to talk to someone in the back. "John, could you bring me a silver stake out of the locker?" A few minutes later Guardian Bloom walks toward us with a stake in his hand. He takes one look at Rose and I think his eyes were about to fall out of his head. He grips the stake so tight his knuckles were turning white. He didn't move or say anything for like two minutes. He stood there staring at Rose. Now I was getting extremely uncomfortable. I moved in front of Rose to block his view. With that he snapped out of his trance and handed to stake to Guardian Sidorov.

"Were are you going all dressed up Rose?" he asked.

She moves to stand next to me so she can face him. "I'm going out with a friend."

"Would this friend be your bodyguard? And your boyfriend here doesn't mind?" he says snidely.

"Alex knows he has nothing to worry about." Then she takes the stake Sidorov and asks for a leg sheath. When she gets the sheath she hands it to me and asks me to put it on her as she moves the dress out off the way to expose her bruised leg. She seems to be taunting Bloom and showing him she wasn't afraid but I didn't really mind since I get to touch her thigh. She smiled that beautiful smile of hers as she thanked Sidorov and glared at Bloom. When she walked with the stake strapped to her thigh, wearing that dress, she looked dangerous and sexy. I think I know what every guy who saw her was going to be dreaming about tonight.

**I hope you liked it. Let me now by reviewing. I love to read what you think.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. They make my day and your comments give me ideas for the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**I do not own any part of Vampire Academy.**

**Rose POV**

"Ivashkov, are you ready to go yet?" I yell as Peter, Jacob, Alex and I enter Adrian's guest quarters.

"Hold on a second."

"I gave you plenty of time. I swear you take longer getting ready than most girls I know." I huff.

The bedroom doors opens and Adrian walks out looking absolutely gorgeous. He is wearing a nice black suit with a silk shirt the same color as my dress. We look like matching Barbie dolls. "But I'm worth the wait, right?" he smiles with his arms out as he turns to give me the full view.

"Not bad. You clean up nice enough." I say dryly. I don't want to tell him how hot I really think he looks in front of Alex.

He just shakes his head and laughs. "You're hard to please Little Dhampir. But that doesn't mean I won't stop trying." With that, he looks over to where Alex is sitting watching us. I must have missed something. Before Adrian and I leave for out 'date', Alex pulls me aside into the bedroom to talk to me in private.

"I know you say that you two are just friends," He pauses and runs his hand through his hair. "but I don't like the way he looks at you. And from our conversation earlier, he is in hot pursuit of your attention. I know I can't compete with him in the money and power department but.." I put my hand over his mouth before he can finish his thought.

"You don't have anything to worry about. Adrian is just my friend. I like _you_ more." I reach up and put my hands the sides of his face and pull him down to me. Luckily with the heels I have on it's not that far. I press my lips to his and kiss him in a way to let him know he has nothing to fear. He kisses me back and the intensity of the kiss starts to grow. I have a feeling he is trying to get me to forget about my dinner with Adrian, and it's working. Then a knock on the door brings reality flooding back. I pull away from him and smile. "Can I get a raincheck?"

"You don't need one. You can kiss me like that whenever the hell you want." I grab his hand and lead him out of the bedroom.

We all leave Adrian's room and split up. Adrian and I head to the parking lot where he has a car waiting. A black Porche. "Cool car. Can I drive?" I ask as I give him my best smile.

"Don't smile at me like that Rose. It isn't going to work this time. I'll drive." He walks over to the passenger side door and holds it open for my as I slide into the seat. Sweet! He gets himself into the car and starts it up. I definately need to get me one of these. We drive up to the main gate as Adrian rolls down his window and speaks to one of the guardians on duty. He motions us through and the gate shuts behind us. We still have a quarter mile length driveway to go until we are off school grounds. As soon as we pull onto the highway, my head feels like it is about to explode. I press my hands to the sides of my head and scream in pain. I see black shapes floating all around me and translucent figures on the side of the road. Adrian pulls over to the side and stops the car.

"Oh my God, Rose. What's wrong? What can I do?" he panicks.

"Head. Hurts." I can't really say more than that. I just scream and try to squeeze the pain out of my head as tears start to roll down my face. He quickly turns the car around to drive back to the school. As soon as we are driving down the driveway, the head ache disappears and I am fine.

"Adrian stop. The pain just went away." I breath in refief. He just looks at me confused.

"Just like that, it's gone?"

"Yeah, weird, huh? Let's try again." I have no idea what that was all about but I feel better now. Since we're both dressed up, might as well finish what we started.

Again, as soon as we pulled onto the freeway, the head ache returned. This time though, I see Mason standing by a tree near the road. This time when Adrian pulls over, I get out of the car and start walking around. I head back to the academy, and as soon as I walk into the school driveway, the pain is gone. Adrian walks over to me, puts his hands on my cheeks and looks me in the eyes intently. "Are you okay now?" I just nod. "What the hell was that all about?"

"I have no idea but I don't like it at all." I shake my head. He stands there there quietly thinking everything over. He grabs my hand and leads my over to the end of the driveway. We get to the end and stop.

"I'ld like to try something. Walk out onto the highway. If the pain returns, run back to me." I'm a little nervous but I figure I should give it a go. As soon as I step off the school grounds, the pain and figures reappear. I step back and I'm fine. I look at Adrian waiting for an explanation.

"The wards are at the edge of the academy border. As soon as you cross the wards, your head hurts, right?"

"And I'm seeing dark things floating around me and weird looking people all around. Kinda like ghosts. I could have sworn I saw Mason again."

"Mason? Huh. Then when you come back over, you're fine."

"Yeah. Do you have a theory as to why?"

"I think it's another effect of you being shadow kissed."

"Well, that's just great. Now what do I do about it?" This shadow kissed situation is becoming more trouble than it's worth.

"You've learned to put up blocks to keep yourself from being pulled into Lissa's mind right? And you can block out her emotions when you want to as well?" I see where he is going.

"So I just need to put a mental block up to keep the pain and ghosts away." Sure, that sounds like a piece of cake. Not.

I stand at the edge of the road and concentrate on putting up a block. When I think I have it in place, I take a step out onto the road. The head ache returns but it is not that bad. I only see a few ghosts around this time. I see Mason just a few feet from me, looking worried. He opens his to tell me something. "They're coming to get you Rose." Umm, what?

"Who's coming to get me, Mason?" This doesn't sound good.

"Strigoi. Soon." With that, he disappears. I turn and walk back over to Adrian who looks worried.

"What happened? Did the block work?"

"Not entirely, but it was better. I just have to work on it. But Mason said that Strigoi were coming to get me, soon."

Adrian wraps his arms around me as I lay my head against his chest. He rests his cheek on top of my head. "I won't let anything get you Rose. Never." I squeeze tighter. He pulls away just enough to look at me. "Do you think you still want to go out? Can you handle it?"

"Yeah. I can practice the block on the road. If it gets to bad, can you compell me to sleep until we arrive at the resort?" He smiles and nods.

"No problem. Let's go." We walk back to the car and the pain is just a dull roar. Nothing I can't handle.

We arrive at the resort, and as soon as we pass their wards, any hint of pain left is erased. The resort is absolutly beautiful. It has cactus and flowers all around and the buildings look like they carved from boulders that must have been there. They fit right in with the environment. We pull up to the front and the valet parks the car. The hostess led us to a table and Adrian pulled out the chair for me. I wasn't used to being treated so well. I could get used to this.

We ordered our food and talked about everything under the sun; things we did to get into trouble in school, our friends, and our families. I didn't even have a clue he was the Queen's nephew. You would think he would behave better. We even discussed our reputations for being promiscuous.

"It's not really fair to be labeled that way when I've never even done it before." I tell him. For some reason, I'm so comfortable with Adrian I can tell him anything.

"Never? As in never ever? Not even with Dimitri?" he looks shocked.

"Nope. Is your rep acurate? If it is I don't want to know how many, just yes or no." I don't need to have any unsavory images in my head of Adrian and some stupid girls.

"Yes, unfortunately." He looks a little embarrassed. Then he looks at me for a minute and gets a devilish grin on his face. "You know, if you ever want to live up to your reputation, I offer my services." There's the old Adrian that annoyed the crap out of me.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass." I think it's time I have the conversation I wasn't really looking forward to having. But I owe it to him to be upfront and honest. "Adrian, remember last night when you told me how you felt about me and I told you I needed time to think about it?"

"Of course. I told you I love you. I would never forget that." Ugh. This is too hard.

"Well, Adrian, I love you too, but not in the same way you love me. You're becoming my best friend. You're right up their with Lissa, maybe even above her right now. You seem to know me better than I know myself sometimes. It's kinda scary." I see disappointment in his face. The last thing in this world I wanted to do was hurt him.

"You're my best friend too Rose. I like the way you don't care what my standing is in society and you don't take my crap. You tell it like it is whether I want to hear it or not. That's one of the reasons I'm falling in love with you. Maybe one day your feeling for me will change, just keep the possibility open, okay?"

"I can do that. Just don't depend on it, alright. I don't want you to miss out on something great because you were still waiting for me. I don't think we as a couple would ever be accepted anyway."

"Oh Little Dhampir, since when did we care what other people think?" he smiles. He then reaches across the table and holds out his hand for me. "Would you care to dance?"

"Why not." I say as I let him lead me onto the dance floor. We dance and laugh as we tell more stories of our past. I think, if I had gotten to know Adrian before Dimitri, we might have had a chance.

It's almost time to go, so I excuse myself and head to the ladies room. As I enter I hear the end of a conversation between two Moroi guests of the resort. "Can you believe he brought his little blood whore here?" the first woman said.

"This used to be a classy place." Said the second woman. As soon as they saw me, they stopped talking, looked me up and down and frowned. I just scowl at them as they walk passed. They better not have been talking about me. I think I get my answer to that when I walk out of the Ladies Room and some middle aged Moroi guy comes up to me a little too close. He hands me a business card with his name and number on it.

"When you tire of Ivashkov, give me a call. I may be older but I can still get the job done." At first I'm not sure what he is referring too until I feel his fingers running down my neck. Oh no he didn't! I grab his his wrist and twist it around his back and push him hard against the wall. He didn't hit it hard enough, so I pull him back and push him into the wall even harder hitting his head.

"You just made the biggest mistake of you life. You just pissed me off." I say as I twist his wrist harder and he lets out a pained moan. "Would you like to explain to your wife or girlfriend how you broke your arm?" he shakes his head no. "Then I suggest you appologize for thinking that just because I'm a pretty dhampir, that makes me a blood whore." I'm getting so mad that my grip on his wrist is so strong, I think it might snap any second now.

"I am sorry, but what else am I to think when you're here with _him_." he says looking in Adrian's direction. His back is to us so he can't see what's going on. I release my hold on him and he turns around, rubbing his wrist. I shove the card he gave me in his mouth as I walk over to Adrian. I am so upset that tears are building up behind my eyes. I don't want to cry in front of him so I keep looking at the floor.

"Adrian, can we go now please?" He looks up at me and sees the look on my face.

"What's wrong? What happened? Did someone hurt you?" he looks worried.

"I just want to get out of here. I don't belong. I knew this was a mistake."

"What are you talking about? Of course you belong here. You're with me." He just doesn't get it.

"That is precisely why I don't belong here. Because I, a dhampir, am here with you, a royal Moroi. Do you know what every single person in here thinks I am?" Those traitor tears start falling down my face. "They think I'm your blood whore. Some guy just propositioned me outside the bathroom. I just want to leave okay." I don't think I've ever seen Adrian so angry as I did just then.

"Who said that to you?" He tries to say calmly but it isn't working too well.

"It doesn't matter. I don't need you making a scene. Besides, I already let him know how wrong he was. I'm tired and upset and I just want to go home now." He reaches out his arms to embrace me to calm me down, but I put my arms out against his chest to stop him. "Please Adrian, not here. Everyone is watching us." He looks at me for a minute and decides not to push it. He nods and leads me out the front door. We get in the car and drive back to the academy.

Neither of us say anything on way back for quite a while, but we are both probably thinking the same thing. We would never be accepted as a couple. Not that we were, or I wanted to be, but just knowing how people would see us was a slap in the face. I looked over at Adrian and he had tears on his cheek. "Adrian, what's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry Rose, for taking you there. I had no idea anything like that would ever happen. It kills me to think someone hurt you so bad and I could have prevented it if I just, I don't know, never taken you there." I don't want him blaming himself for some jerks narrow mindedness.

"Adrian, it's not you fault. You don't think the way they do, so it never occured to you that others might see us differently. That's one of the reasons I like you."

"Yeah, but I used to think that way. If I saw someone like me out with a beautiful young dhampir, I would have assumed the same thing. At least, until I met you. You make me view the world much differently than I used to. Thank you for that by the way." he smiles at me.

"Well, you're welcome. Glad to be of service." I laugh softly. "Best friends?"

"Best friends." he agrees.

We get back to the academy and park the car. Adrian gets out and comes around to open my door. All of a sudden I see someone come up behind him and hits him hard on the head. He goes down instantly. I try to move to the other side of the car to get out but I'm not fast enough. The car door swings open and someone grabs my leg and pulls me out and puts a cloth over my mouth. Everything starts to fade before I am swallowed up by blackness.

**I hope you liked this chapter. Let me know. Reviews are always welcome.**


	15. Chapter 15

**I hope you all enjoyed the little cliff hanger. **

**I don't own any part of Vampire Academy.**

**Alex POV**

"You were right. I don't want to go out with Adrian Ivashkov. He's just a rich spoiled royal Moroi who thinks he can get whatever and whoever he wants. I'd much rather spend my time with you." Rose tells me in that seductive voice of hers that makes my heart almost beat out of my chest. The light green dress she is wearing enhances every curve on her body, begging me to reach out and touch it. She then moves closer and puts her hands on my hips and begins playing with the hem of my shirt. She slowly moves her hands under my shirt and lightly travels up to my chest and back down again to my waist. The next thing I know, Rose is pulling my shirt up and over my head. She then starts kissing my chest, working her way up my throat, neck, then my jawline, and over to my lips. Her lips barely brush mine as my whole body aches with anticipation, and then... I wake up to someone poking my back repeatedly.

"Come on, man, wake up. I want to go bother Hathaway and find out how her date was." Jacob says while poking my back with his foot. I was really pissed that he interupted what was becoming the best dream I ever had. I grabbed my pillow and hit him hard in the gut. He just laughs. But he's right. I really want to see her as soon as possible. I get up to get ready for the day when someone starts banging on the door. I open it to find Peter looking frantic.

"Rose never came to my room last night?" My first reaction is to panic, but my training kicks in as I try to calm down and think things through.

"Maybe she didn't want to wake you and went to her own room." I reason. That would be the best possible scenario.

"Or maybe she stayed the night in Adrian's room." Jacob says waggling his eyebrows up and down, suggesting they became _more_ than friends. I think he really enjoys driving me crazy.

I try to ignore Jacob's comment, but I have to admit, that it could be a possibility. "Have you tried calling her cell phone?" I ask Peter.

"Of course, but it just keeps going to voice mail."

"Okay, let's go check out her room first and then Ivashkov's second." I hope I don't sound as worried as I feel. We get to her room and knock. No answer. I try the door knob and it's unlocked. We walk in to find an empty room. Damn. Next we try Adrian's in guest housing. We knock but no answer. Of course Jacob has to open his big mouth.

"Maybe they can't hear us knocking due to all the noise they're making themselves," He smirks. I have to really fight back the urge to punch him right in the face. Instead I focus the anger into kicking the door open. We search the apartment and find no one. Not even Adrian. My heart just drops and I feel nausious. Something is definately wrong.

"I bet they eloped. How much you wanna bet they're in Vegas right now?" That's it. I turn around to face Jacob and punch him right in the gut. He bends over in pain and falls to his knees. "Dude, I was only kidding. Get a grip." he coughs.

"You're being an ass, Jacob. You know how he feels about Rose. No one needs your crap right now." Peter speaks up. Both Jacob and I are shocked. He rarely speaks to anyone, but I appreciate the gesture.

"We need to tell the guardians and start looking for her." I say as I head out the door and toward the guardian office. Guardian Sidorov is there. I tell him about Rose and Adrian not returning from their trip and about Guardian Bloom harrassing her.

"I'm sure Guardian Bloom wouldn't do anything to harm a student in that way. Let me first talk to the guardians on duty at the front gate to see if they even came back last night. That way we'll know if we need to search the school grounds or not." He goes across the room and picks up the phone and talks to someone. He returns to us. "Well, they did return about four hours after they left. Let's go find Lord Ivashkov's car to see if we can find anything there. I'll get some guardians to search all the dorm rooms. Maybe she went to talk to a friend and fell asleep there" He turns to me. "Let's not panick." I must look worried.

We get to the parking lot and see the Porsche sitting there. Nothing looks out of the ordinary until I see something poking out of a bush a few yards from the car. I go over to investigate when I notice it's Adrian. He's not moving and he had blood all over his head, running down his face. "Over here. It's Adrian." I put my finger to side of his throat and feel a faint pulse. The other guardians come over and we gently pick him up and take him to the infirmery. A few more guardians come to the room looking for Sidorov. One of them is Bloom. Rage starts to consume me. I just know he has something to do with this. He looks at me with shock in his eyes.

"Where's Rose? I thought she was with him last night." I don't believe his little act.

"You should know. What did you do to her?" I shout as I try to hit him but the someone is holding me back. Lucky for him. And me. If I wasn't so well restrained, I might kill him.

"What are you talking about? I would never do anything to hurt Rose."

"Are you serious? You've been harrassing her since she got here. Why do you think we never let her be alone with you. You're crazy!" I shout.

"This is not helping." Sidorov says to me. "Bloom, you take your group and search the west end of the grounds. I already have a group searching the dorms and my group will search the east side. Alex, you can come along if you want while at least one of you," he motions to Peter and Jacob "stays with him in case he wakes up and can tell us what happened."

"I'll stay with him. He's my friend too." Peter volunteers. He leans into me and whispers "Bloom isn't being truthful. He's nervous and afraid, like he's hiding something. Stay with him. Watch him carefully, but don't hurt him. We need him to lead us to Rose." I guess this spirit thing can be pretty useful. I nod to let him know I'll follow his advice.

"I'll come with you too. "Jacob says. "Even though I act like a jerk, I like Rose. She's fun to have around and I don't want anything to happen to her, either." We follow Bloom's group from a distance. We watch them searching the area for a while but they don't find anything. Eventually the groups stops looking and heads back, but Bloom doesn't follow. I try to follow him, but one of the other guardians catches us and leads us back to the dorms. I sneak out later, but I can't find him anywhere. Crap.

**Rose POV**

Oh, my head hurts so bad. I feel like I have a hangover, but I don't remember drinking. Then the memories from last night come slamming back into my head; Adrian being attacked, someone pulling me out of the car and then blackness. I blink a few times to get my eyes to focus. I look around. I am in a room with no windows, a lot of shelves with cans and boxes of food, bottles of water and the bed I'm on. My hands are tied together above my head and my legs are each tied to a bed post. I try to wiggle my wrists and ankles out of my binds, but it's no use. Luckily, I'm still wearing my dress. I notice two doors. I assume one went to a bathroom and the other was an exit.

I look around to see if Adrian is here with me, but I was alone. "Oh God Adrian. Where are you? Where am I? How am I going to get out of this?" But no one answers. Then I have an idea, Mason. I concentrate on putting down the block I needed last night, but nothing happens. No head ache, no ghosts, no Mason. I must be somewhere with wards. Maybe I am still on school grounds. That could only mean one thing, Bloom. What the hell did I ever do to him?

I lie there for what seems like hours. If I wasn't so scared about what was going to happen to me, I would be bored out of my mind. Finally, I fall asleep. I don't know how long I was asleep when I am shaken awake. I open my eyes to see Guardian Bloom shaking my shoulders.

"Oh good, you're awake." he jokes.

"I am now" I roll my eyes. "Where am I? Where's Adrian? You figure tying me up like this is the only way you could defeat me?" I don't really want to upset him but also don't want him to know how scared I am.

He just laughs. "Why do you try to anger me? Always pushing my buttons. I don't want to hurt you anymore, my sweet Rose. I just want to go back to the way we were, before _he_ came along."

Okay, now I am totally confused. Who is 'he' and what did we have before? "I don't want you to hurt me either, but I don't think I'm following. Who are you talking about?"

"Don't toy with me Rose Ann. You know perfectly well who I'm talking about. The Moroi you were assigned to guard, Daniel Zeklos." he spat out his name. Who the hell is Rose Ann and why does he think he's talking to her?

"My name is Rose_marie_. Not Rose Ann. You obviously have me confused with someone else. So why don't you untie me, and I'll help you find her." Well, I gotta try.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" I have to bite my tongue not to respond to _that _opening. "Do you think I don't recognize the woman I love? The woman that said she loved me too and promised to spend the rest of her life with me? The woman who _disgraced_ me and left to become the blood whore that rich royal Moroi?" His face starts to redden as his anger in his voice increases. I have no idea what to do now. I say the first thing that comes to my mind.

"I'm sorry." I whisper. I don't know why I said it, but it seems to calm him down a bit. He stares at me for a few minutes, anger leaving his face. He reaches his hand up and begins to stroke my hair.

"Oh, Rose. I still love you so much. Just give me a chance to show you. I can make you happy. I don't want to hurt you anymore, my sweet Rose." If I wasn't all too familiar with his angry side, I might be touched by his speech. "You have two choices now Rose. You come back to me, or you die." Well that's a no brainer. I just hope I can pull it off. I just need to get him to untie me then I can escape.

"I choose you, of course." Duh.

"How do I know that you will not leave me again? Not that you would go back to him. I made sure of that last night." What did that mean? What did he do to Adrian? I've got to get out of here now and find him. "You need to convince me, Rose. Show me that you mean to stay with me." He says this as he lowers his head just inches above mine. He lowers his lips down onto mine and begins kissing me. My whole body tenses and I fight to hold back a scream. I have to convince him if I have a hope of getting out of here. I slowly respond to his lips, tears streaming down my face. I feel sobs starting to catch in my throat. He pulls away a bit and looks at my wet, tear stained face.

"You can do better than that, Rose." He comes back down on my lips and kisses my harder. I do the only thing I could think of, I imagine I'm kissing Dimitri, not him. I think it's working because the kiss gets deeper and hungrier. He has one hand in my hair as his other hand starts to roam over my stomach and down my hip and leg. He starts pulling the fabric of my dress up so he can touch my leg. Oh god, not that. I can't do that with him. My mind races to find a way out. I turn my head away from him to break the kiss.

"Please. Not here. Not this way. Please." I plead with him. He just stares at me pondering what I said. He comes back down and kisses me again, but doesn't touch my body this time. He then pulls away after a few minutes and smiles at me.

"I've missed you so much, Rose." I give him a small smile. He reaches up and starts to untie my wrists. When they are free, he unties my feet. I don't move off the bed yet. I wait for him to make the first move. He reaches out his hand to me to help me up.

"I'm sure you want to freshen up. There is a bathroom through that door. I brought you some clean clothes and fresh towels." He points me to the door. I go into the room and lock the door. I get into the shower and all the emotions I have been trying to keep bottled up come rushing out. I break down and cry. I don't know if Adrian is alive, I don't really know where I am and Bloom really is insane if you thinks I am someone else. I know the only way I'm gonna get out of here is to fight. After the last tear has fallen, I muster up all the strength I can. I start thinking about everything he has done to me and my friends and I let the anger consume me.

I get dressed into the jeans, tank top and tennies he left me. I walk out the door and give him my best smile. He comes over to me, leans down and kisses me. I run my hands up along his chest, to his neck and then to his hair. I can feel him smile on my lips. If only he knew what I had in mind. I then pull his hair with all my might and knee him in the groin. He bends over in pain. I start to run for the door when I feel his hand grab my ankle and pull me down. He lets go when I hit the floor. I try to crawl and get to my feet but he jumps on me pinning me to the floor.

"You bitch! That was not a very smart thing to do. I guess we're going with option two, then." he hissed. Well, I'm not dying without one hell of a fight. He gets off me enough for me to roll onto my back. I use my legs to push him off. I get up and kick him again his gut. I go to hit his face but he blocks me and he backhands me across the face. That hurt. A lot. I quickly recover and start punching him again. I manage to break his nose but he doesn't falter. He comes back with a hard hit to my side. All the rage inside me keeps building with every hit he lands. I focus all that emotion on my next kick to his chest. He practically flies across the room and slams into the wall. I stunned him.

I quickly run for the door and open it. In front of me is a little round space with a rungs in the wall leading up to a round hatch door. I start climbing the ladder. It get up about a quarter of the way to the top, when he grabs my calf and tries to pull me down. I kick at him trying to free my leg but his grip is too strong. My hands holding on to the rung, slowly slips and I fall hard to the ground. He grabs my still wet hair and drags me back into the little room. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a can of beans on the bottom of the food shelf. I grab it and when he releases my hair, I turn and throw the can at his head as hard as I can. Bulls eye! I got him right in the middle of his forehead. I can see the blood dripping down his face from where the can landed. I grab another can and chuck it at him again. This time I hit his mouth and split his lip. While he is temporarily distracted by his wounds, I run at him with everything I have and ram him into the brick wall. He hits the wall with such force that his head bounces off it twice. He is out!. His body slides down to the floor, unconscious.

Again, I run out the door and begin climbing the ladder as fast as I can. I get to the top and open the latch. The sunlight comes pouring in and blinds me. My eyes take a few seconds to adjust, but when they do, I look out and don't recognize anything around me. I climb out and look around. At first glance it seems I am stranded in the middle of the freaking desert. I have no idea which way to run. But when I calm myself a little and take a closer look, I can see buildings way off into the distance. Maybe that's the academy. If not, maybe there are people there who can help me. I run as fast as I can toward buildings. It's not my usual speed because my side, where he hit me, hurts badly and it's hard to breath.

"Rose!" I hear behind me. I glance behind me to see Bloom emerging from the hole in the ground he had trapped me in. I push myself to run harder. I am so grateful right now for Dimitri making me run all those laps in training. I'll have to call and thank him when this is all over. I start to recognize what I am running toward. It is the academy. The back of the gym actually. I hear his footsteps getting closer. I start screaming at the top of my lungs. "Help. Help." I can't say more because my breathing is so labored. I see someone turn around and start to run toward me. Oh thank goodness. I catch up to that person and see that it is Alex. He really is my hero. Instead of stopping, I grab his arm and keep running toward the school. I can't let Bloom catch me until we can find the other guardians.

"Rose, are you okay?" He asks while we run. What kind of stupid question is that? We run into the gym where the younger novices are training. Everyone stops and looks at us as we run up to the nearest guardian, Rogers I think, and I practically collapse in his arms. He lowers me to the floor as I am breathing so hard I am a little dizzy. I have no idea what I look like, but from the look on his and Alex's face, it's not good.

"Bloom. Crazy. Try. Kill me." is all I can manage to get out between breaths. Alex kneels down to the floor and embraces me while the guardians run out to capture Bloom, which they did. Eventually I catch my breath and Alex helps me up and walks me to the infirmory.

"We have to find Adrian. I think he killed him." I plead to Alex.

"We found him and he's alive. He's in the infirmary, unconscious." We get there and the doctor treats my wounds which include a fractured rib, a bruised cheek and a few cuts on my arms and shoulders. I then go to Adrian's room and see him laying on the bed, wires and tubes all over him. I stand by his side and grab his hand.

"I'm so sorry Adrian. I'm so sorry this happened to you." I whisper in his ear hoping he'll wake up when he hears my voice. but he doesn't. Alex takes my hand and pulls me to him. He wraps his arms around me and holds me as tight as he can with out hurting my ribs. I finally feel safe being in his arms that I break down and cry, again.

**I hope you liked this chapter. Review and let me know if you approve of how Bloom was defeated. Have a Happy New Year everyone!**


	16. Chapter 16

**I don't own Vampire Academy**

**Rose POV**

I am sitting in a chair watching one of my best friends fight for his life. It's been two days since he was attacked, and he has not woken up. I know because I haven't left his side since I walked into his room. I need to be here when he opens his eyes. I need know he'll be okay. Of course, if he doesn't wake soon, I won't have that chance. The Queen, who happens to be his aunt, is having him moved to the hospital at the Court. I'm not allowed anywhere near there because she blames me for his condition. I blame myself too. Hopefully, Lissa will get here first. I called her as soon as I could and begged her to come down to heal him. Adrian is her friend too, so she didn't hesitate to make the arrangements. I just hope she makes it in time.

Alex has been very supportive. He doesn't care for Adrian because he sees him as compitition for my affection, but he seems to have pushed that aside for my sake. He knows how much I care for Adrian and that I am feeling extremely guilty. He has been bringing me food so I don't have to leave, sitting with him when I need a bathroom break and just holding my hand and being my rock. I don't know how I can get through this without him.

Guardian Bloom is being held in a detention cell at the school. He is supposed to go to the Court jail when they come to get Adrian. At first, when Alex told Guardian Sidorov that Bloom had something to do with my disappearance and Adrian's injuries, he didn't believe him. But when I told him what happened and I showed him the old bomb shelter he held me in, he quickly changed his mind. There is supposed to be another guardian to replace him arriving this afternoon. I just hope he isn't a psycho, too. I need a break from crazy.

Field experience is still going on, though at the moment, I could care less. It was only with the threat of failing and being out of the running to become Lissa's guardian, that Alex and I left Adrian's room. Alex promised we could grab lunch and eat with Adrian this afternoon. I followed Peter to his classes and did my best to concentrate and do my duty. Since Bloom is no longer participating in the fake Strigoi attacks, I am actually getting a break. My body sure needs it. I am so bruised and battered from the multiple attacks, mainly from him. He sure had it in for me.

After the last morning class, Peter and I head to the dining hall to meet Alex and Jacob when we see lots of students running for the quad. "What's going on?" I ask whoever is around me.

"They already have the new guardian on field experience. They're fighting up ahead." Everyone likes to watch these fights to get any information on the how to best defeat the guardians when it's their turn. I grab Peter's hand and start running with everyone else. When I get closer, I see that it's Alex fighting the new guy, and it doesn't look good. Alex is on the ground and this very tall guardian, dressed head to toe in black, is at his neck, rendering him dead. My heart plummets. Then I realize that we are guarding _partners_. We are both in charge of guarding Jacob, who is still technically alive. I run over to Jacob and pull him away and shove him over to Peter right before the guardian's hand can grab his neck, 'killing' the Moroi like a real Strigoi would. I also want to show the new guy who he's dealing with.

"I don't think so, blood sucker. That's _my_ pain in the ass you're after." I yell as I kick hard to his chest, causing him to stumble back. He obviously thought he was done, after finishing with Alex. I go to strike him in the face when I look up at his eyes. Those dark brown eyes I would know anywhere. "Dimitri."

**Dimitir POV**

"Guardian Belikov, I need to talk to you. It's important." I hear from outside my door after a few hard knocks. I open the door to see Lissa, and she looks frantic. The first thing I think of is that something bad has happened to Rose.

"What's wrong?"

"Rose and Adrian were attacked by some crazy guardian at her school and now Adrian is in a coma. I need to get there so I can heal him. Will you help me? I don't have much time." she pleads. I don't really care too much about Ivashkov's condition, I want to hear how Rose is.

"I Rose okay?" I need to know. Please let her be alive.

"Yes, she's alright now. She escaped with some injuries, but she'll be fine. It's Adrian that needs my help now. Rose needs me to help him." I am extremely confused as to what the hell is going on, but I'll just have to wait a while to get my answers. As long as she is alive, I can manage.

"Of course. Let me talk to Alberta and I'll arrange a plane to take us there immediately. Go pack your bag and meet me here in thirty minutes." She turns and runs back to her room to pack while I head to Alberta's office.

I knock on her door but walk in anyways not waiting for permission. She looks up and when she sees my face, she looks worried. "What's the matter? Has something happened?"

"I need to get Princess Dragomir to Alder Academy in California right away. There was some sort of incident there and Lord Ivashkov was injured. Lissa has been asked to try and heal him. He doesn't have much time." I don't seem to be asking permission so much as letting her now where we will be. With any other boss, it might be different. But Alberta and I have become good friends and she knows I wouldn't do anything like this without good reason.

"I heard about the incident but wasn't aware they ask for the Princess' help." she says.

"I believe it was a personal request from Novice Hathaway. Apparently she and Lord Ivashkov are good friends." I try to hide my distaste for their newly formed friendship. I thought Rose couldn't stand him. I don't like this new developement.

"Of course, and while you're there, you could stay for the remainder of the school year if you'ld like. They are looking for a guardian to replace the guardian who attacked two people there. Apparently, one was Lord Ivashkov. I don't know who the second was though. Do you want me to call and let them know you'll come and stay?"

"You don't need me here?" I would love to be closer to Rose and try to keep her out of trouble. It seems to follow her everywhere.

"No, we'll be fine. You're leaving us at the end of the year anyway to guard Tasha Ozera. Your replacement is already here so we actually won't be lacking. I know you want to go." she says with a wink. What does that mean? Does she know about Rose and me? Were we that obvious or was it my attitude after she left? Either way, she's right. I do want to go.

"Yes, please tell them that I will stay and help out. Which guardian attacked?" I know a lot of guardians and I can't imagine any of them doing anything like this.

"Guardian Bloom. Do you know him?" Oh I know him all right. I never liked him after that phone conversation I had with him right after Rose left. He is going to pay.

"Yes" If I said anything more she might sense my rage boiling up inside me and not let me go.

"I'll have the academy jet ready to take you two there in an hour." she says.

I nod my thanks and walk back to my room to pack. All I can think about is seeing Rose and making sure she is all right.

Lissa and I board the plane, and as soon as we are in the air, I start the interigation.

"Alright Princess, tell me what you know. What happened to Rose and Adrian?"

She looks hesitant to tell me. It must be bad if she is afraid of my reaction. "Well, apparently this Guardian Bloom has been harrassing Rose, trying to kiss or touch her. Even during a fight. He was even getting violent and attacking her during field experience way more than any other novice, even in the middle of the night when everyone was sleeping." I clench my fists hard to try to keep the anger off my face so she will keep talking.

"How does Adrian fit into all this? I thought he was here working magic with you." I didn't even realize he left.

"Rose called him and asked him to come visit her. Apparently one of her Moroi assignments is a Spirit user, so she asked Adrian to come meet him since I couldn't leave school like he can." From what I've seen of Adrian, he would do just about anything for Rose. I can't blame him for that. "They had just gotten back from their date when.." I interupt her.

"They were on a date?" Come on, Belikov. Keep your cool. You left her, remember. She's free to date whoever she wants. But does it have to be_ him_?

"That was one of his conditions for visiting her. She had to let him take her to dinner, alone." He's pretty smart, actually. It was probably the only way she would accept such an invitation. "They had just gotten back when he hit Adrian over the head knocking him out and then he kidnapped Rose. She was in some sort of bunker for like 12 hours. He's crazy. He convinced himself she was his old girlfriend who left him to be with a royal. He wanted her to be with him or he was going to kill her. She barely managed to get away from him after she fought him and knocked him out for a few minutes."

"Did he hurt her?" I try to stay calm, but when it comes to Rose, that's pretty dificult.

"She has bruises and a fractured rib, but she's alright. It's Adrian she's worried about. She hasn't left his side since she escaped." I want to ask her about the relationship between Rose and Adrian, but after our conversation last week, after finding out Rose almost drowned, I don't think she would tell me.

"Is there anything else I should know?" I need to prepare myself for the worst.

"I don't think you're gonna like it." Of course I won't.

"Go ahead."

"She's been kinda dating another novice, Alex Black. Well, not they have ever had a date, you know, with the field experience and everything. But I guess they're guarding partners. Some new way of doing the field experience. They share their Moroi assignments for the six weeks. So they get to see each other a lot." When she stops talking, she just looks at me like she's waiting for me to explode. Sorry to disappoint you Princess, but I am in control.

"Thank you Princess, for telling me." After that I face forward and think about how Rose is going to react to seeing me again. How am I going to react seeing her. I hope I have enough control to keep myself from pulling her to me and kissing her soft lips right there in front of everyone.

We get to the academy a few hours later. I talk to the headmistress there and she tells Lissa she can stay in Adrian's room since he's not using it at the moment and she hopefully won't be staying long. After taking her bag to the room, I walk her to the infirmary to see Adrian. I am hoping that Rose is there, but she isn't. The nurse tells me they had to threaten Rose with failing the field experience to get her to leave. I look at Adrian lying there. He doesn't look good. Hopefully Lissa can help. I leave her with him to do her magic as I walk to the guardian office to talk to the head guard. He seems very excited to see me.

"How would you like to do student attacks right away. Word is out that a new guardian was coming and the novices are anxious to see what you can do." I smile at that. They are going to be disappointed when they realize they can't beat me. I would really rather just find Rose, but I don't want to get off on the wrong foot.

"Sure, I can do that." I go to my room and dress in my black 'Strigoi' outfit. The last morning class is about to let out, which will be a perfect introduction to the student body.

I hide behind a big tree in the main quad by the dining hall, when I see a Moroi and his guard walking by. The Moroi reminds me of Jesse Zeklos, the one who started those nasty rumors about Rose. He looks like the perfect candidate for my first attack. I jump out to grab him when his guard springs into action. We begin fighting. He's not too bad, pretty quick but nothing I can't handle. He does manage to get a couple good hits but he suffers more damage than I do. I get him to the ground and lean in like I'm going to bite his neck and tell him close to his ear. "You're dead." I get up to finish by killing the Moroi by grabbing his neck when out of nowhere I here the sweetest voice ever.

"I don't think so, blood sucker. That's _my_ pain in the ass you're after." I get kicked hard into my chest and I stumble back. I look right at her. I've missed her so much in the short time we've been apart. I want to just reach out and hug her, but we are surrounded by most of the school. I don't think she knows it's me yet when I see her pull back for a punch. Then she stops and looks right into my eyes. "Dimitri."

"Rose." I look into her eyes and see so many emotions shining through; surprise, longing, love. Then she glances over to the novice I just defeated and anger consumes her face. She releases the hold she had and lets her arm strike out and hit me in the jaw. She is pissed. I quickly go back to attack mode and start to fight. Our audience is going to be seeing a great show. Since I've been training her for the past few months, we know each other's moves very well. We both have our reputations at stake for being the best and neither of us is willing to back down. We dance around each other, mainly blocking shots for about 15 minutes. We are both getting sweaty and out of breath. I finally manage to get behind to grab her. I start to go in for my kill when her foot wraps around my ankle and she kicks it out from under me causing us both to fall backwards, her on top of me. Then she takes her elbow, jabs it hard into my ribs, stunning me. She then turns and brings her practice stake down over my heart, defeating me. We stay like that for a few moments just looking at each other. I am so proud of her.

We are both trying to catch our breath when she whispers to me "What are you doing here?"

"I came for you." is all I can say before someone's hand is in front of her face, offering to help her up. She accepts the hand and it is the same guy I defeated earlier. We both stand up, and the crowd is clapping and hollaring for Rose. I look over at him, looking at her. He looks just as proud as I do.

He picks her up in an embrace and spins her around. "Oh my God, Rose. You are amazing." I agree. She is amazing.

**I hope you liked that chapter. What do you think about Dimitri coming back? Let me know by reviewing. I hope everyone has a wonderful 2010!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Rose POV**

I can not believe he is here. Standing right in front of me. Looking all hot and sweaty and out of breath Looking at me with love and pride in his eyes. I like when you looks like that. Very sexy. Wait, why is he here? He said he came for me? But that doesn't make sense. He said we couldn't be together. He said it would be best for both of us if we were apart. What was the point of my coming here if he just follows me? Did he change his mind? Does he want me now?

"Dimitri, what's going on?" I am so confused. As I am waiting for him to answer, I feel arms wrap around my waist from behind. Dimitri changes his gaze from me to the owner of the arms now holding me tight, and it is not a friendly look.

"Don't I have the most bad-ass girlfriend in the world?" Alex asks Dimitri, with a huge smile on his face while he gives me another squeeze. Dimitri doesn't say anything as he raises an eyebrow and looks over to me for an explanation. I guess I should oblige.

"Dimitri this is Alex Black. Alex this is my mentor, Dimitri." Talk about ackward, boyfriend 1 meet boyfriend 2. But, I guess Dimitri isn't my boyfriend anymore, he never really was.

"You can call me Guardian Belikov." he informs Alex flatly. This isn't starting out too well, with Dimitri giving him attitude already. But Alex doesn't seem fazed.

"So you're the one who taught Rose all her moves. Maybe you should've kept one or two a secret. Then maybe she wouldn't have embarrassed you by kicking your ass on your first day here." Alex remarks. I never told him about Dimitri and our forbidden relationship, but maybe he knew anyway.

"I'm not embarrassed at all. In fact, I'm very proud of you Rose. You paid attention to our lessons and it paid off. Well done." He is in classic guardian mode. I'm not going to get any answers from him right now.

"Thanks. I quite enjoyed beating _you_ for once." I say with a little laugh. The three of us stand there in ackward silence for a few moments. Then Jacob decides to make himself noticed.

"Pain in the ass, Rose? Is that really how you see me?" he says with a fake hurt experssion on his face. Peter is standing behind him trying to surpress a laugh.

"No, not at all. I just thought I would be polite in front of the new guardian." The four of us start laughing while Dimitri just looks at us unamused. Then he gets a look on his face like he just remembered something important.

"Rose, I came here with Lissa. I left her in the infirmary with Adrian about 30 minutes ago. You might want to go and see if she was able to heal him." My eyes widened and I think my heart stopped. I can't believe I forgot about Adrian during all this. I grab Alex's hand and start pulling him as I run toward the clinic. Peter, Jacob and even Dimitri follow.

We run into Adrian's room to see Lissa sitting by his bed. He still looks like he did when they kicked me out this morning. My heart dropped. It didn't work. I walk over to Lissa who jumped out of her chair and gave me a huge hug. I pulled her back to look at her face."It didn't work? You couldn't heal him?"

"I haven't tried yet, actually. I figured you would want to be here when he woke up, so I waited." she smiled. Part of me was furious that she would risk his health like that, but the other part was thrilled she knew me so well. I did want to be here. I just hope it works. She leaned over his body and put one hand on his head and the other over his heart. Peter stood next to her watching intently while Jacob leaned against the wall. Dimitri stood in the doorway watching us, well mainly me. I was on the other side of the bed with Alex next to me, waiting for him to open his eyes. All of a sudden I could feel the wonderfully joyous feeling of Lissa's magic working through the bond. She did this for a few minutes until she collapsed from exhaustion. Luckily Peter's reflexes were pretty good and he was able to catch her before she hit the floor. He picked her up and sat her in the chair. I never took my gaze off Adrian, though. I was starting to think it didn't work, when his eyelids began to flutter. Slowly, he opened his eyes and blinked a few times, probably to get them to focus.

"Adrian, you're back." I breathed. He turned his head toward me and smiled.

"Of course Little Dhampir. Do you think you can get rid of my that easily?" he whispers. He tries to sit up, but I knock him back down when I wrap my arms around his shoulders in a big hug.

"You scared the crap out of me, Adrian. Don't ever do this to me again. I don't know what I would do without you." I say in his ear. He puts his arms around me, too and pulls me to him even tighter.

"I'm sorry I scared you." After a few moments in our embrace, he pulls me away a bit. "What happened anyway? The last thing I remember is parking the car after returning from our date...and then waking up here to your beautiful face." he smiles at me.

"Well Guardian Bloom happened. He knocked you out, knocked me out, tied me up in some bomb shelter, we fought, I escaped, he was caught and now Lissa healed you." I know that won't totally satisfy his question, but I hope we can get into detail later.

"Did he _do_ anything to you, Rose?" His face suddenly got very serious and angry. I'm not sure if everyone else around us knew he was asking if Bloom had raped me, but I did. I think maybe Dimitri realized what he was asking too, because he suddenly got very stiff and took a few steps closer to the bed.

"No, he didn't do _that_. He wouldn't still be alive if he did." He relaxed with my answer, as did Dimitri. Now was not the time to go into detail about him assaulting my lips. Just then a nurse walks in and tells us that Adrian needs his rest and we have to leave. I promise him that I will be back later and we all exit. Lissa is still weak, so Dimitri picks her up and carries her over to the feeders so she can recharge.

Through the bond, I notice the darkness in her that healing Adrian had created. "Wow, Liss, I think you overdid yourself that time."

"You think, Rose? What was your first clue? The fact that I nearly passed out and or the fact that I brought boyfriend number three of yours back from a freakin coma?" She yelled. Can you say bitch? I pull the darkness out of her and her mood instantly improves. Of course, mine doesn't. Lissa immediately feels the change and looks at me concerned. "Rose, you didn't have to do that. I need to learn how to deal with the darkness myself. I shouldn't have to depend on you all the time." The others just look at us confused.

"Give me a break Lissa. It was too much for you to handle all at once. I just feel sorry for whoever pisses me off right now." I look over to Jacob.

"Yeah, you do tend to become a bit of a bitch when you do it." she chuckles.

"You mean she gets worse? I didn't think that was possible." Jacob smirks. I give him my best glare and he slowly starts to move toward Alex for protection.

"You can fight your own battles, Jacob. She warned you not to piss her off." Alex tells him while moving away.

Dimitri finally speaks up. "Class is about to start. You three should get going." He says to Alex, Jacob and Peter. "Rose will you show Lissa to Adrian's room before you resume your guarding duty. She'll be staying there until she leaves." We all part ways as I walk with Lissa. We talk about Peter and what he can do with spirit and she fills me in on the latest gossip about me and why I left.

As I am walking to Peter's class, I run into Dimitri. "Rose, I need to talk to you." he says while pulling me into an empty classroom. "I need to know what happened with Guardian Bloom. Everything." So I tell him everything. I tell him about our flirting, the kiss in the gym, his forwardness on he surf trip, how he kept stalking me and telling me we belonged together, how he tried to cop a feel during an attack, how he was constantly attacking me trying to hurt me and then how he had kidnapped me. Dimitri looked pretty steady as I told him all this until I got to the part about how he had me tied to a bed and started kissing me.

"I had to convince him that I really wanted him. I had to make the kiss feel real and the only way I could do that was to imagine that I was kissing you. Then he tried to take off the dress but when I told him I didn't want to do that there, he stopped." As I told him the last part, I couldn't look him in the eye.

"Roza, I'm so sorry that happened to you." he said.

"Yeah, well, me too." I then look up to see his face. "Dimitri, why are you here? Why did you take the job to replace Bloom?" I wanted to know if he chaged his mind and wanted me back. If he did, I would go back to him in a second.

"My replacement at St Vlads is already in place so I was really just an extra guardian. This school needed one, so I came." So it had nothing to do with me.

"Oh, I just thought maybe..." I didn't finish for fear of total humiliation. I shook my head as I looked down at my feet. I started to get up to leave when he grabbed my hand.

"Of course, I only found out about the position _after_ I was already planning to come see you."

"Why did you want to see me?"

"You've only been here about a week and in that time you almost drowned in the ocean and then were stalked and kidnapped by a psychopath. You have already been through so much, I just want to keep you safe." He is talking more like a big brother than someone in love. He sounds like he is doing a much better job of moving on than me.

"Oh, okay. I should probably head back now." I get up to try to leave again when he speaks.

"What is going on with you and Adrian? You looked and acted like more than friends in the clinic. And then there's that Alan kid who had his hands all over you earlier." Is this the protective big brother or is he jealous.

"First off, Adrian and I talked, and we agreed to be best friends and nothing more. Well, I can't give him more than that even though he told me he loved me. And Second, his name is Alex and he is my boyfriend I guess. He loves me and isn't afaid to show it. He's not ashamed to love me." He cringed when I said the last part.

"What does that mean? I'm not ashamed of loving you." He sounds like his control is slipping and he is getting a little upset.

"Oh really. Then why are you running to Tasha? Because a relationship with her is more acceptable than one with me, that's why. _She_ isn't too young for you. _She_ wouldn't compromise your guardian duties. _She_ wasn't your student. The fact that she can give you a family is an added bonus. You get everything you want in a pretty, scarred package without the shame." I am practically shouting. The darkness from spirit is really fueling my rage right now.

"And what about you? Would you be willing to give up being Lissa's guardian and abandon her, and face the ridicule we would get for our relationship in this society? Is that something you want?"

"Yes." I scream. "Lissa is my best friend, so I would never actually abandon her. But I would give up being her guardian and face whatever crap people say about us if I could be with you. You are worth more to me than all that." I am getting so worked up, tears are threatening to fall.

"I would never let you sacrife everything you worked for like that." He says calmly.

"There you go again, using my future career as an excuse to hide the real reason you won't be with me. You're ashamed that you love me, the wild, disrespectful, bad-tempered troublemaker that everyone loves to gossip about. Is it the blood whore rumors that worry you so much? I know a lot of people believe them. I wouldn't want to embarrass you with my checkered past." He is starring wide-eyed at my outburst. I take some deep breaths and calm down a little. "I love you Dimitri and I want us to be together after I graduate. But I won't be with someone who is ashamed to be with me. If you're a strong enough man to love me the way I deserve to be loved, let me know. Otherwise, I wish you and Tasha a very comfortable life together." I then walk out slamming the door behing me.

**Well, what do you think? Review and let me know.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. As always I don't own Vampire Academy.**

**Dimitri POV**

I can't believe what Rose just said to me. She thinks I'm ashamed to love her? That is the farthest thing from the truth. I would love to shout it from the rooftops that I am in love with Rose Hathaway. But I can't, not without hurting her. She is just too consumed with the darkness from Spirit to see clearly. And she is young and doesn't always think things through. I want to go run after her but I know that in the state she is in, we will just end up in another aurgument. But I need to let her know how much I still love her. Especially with those two slobbering idiots trying to get Rose's heart. My Rose's heart.

I burst through the door and start running toward her. The hall is empty because classes are still in session. I see her stomping along, obviously still pissed. I catch up to her quickly and put my hand on her shoulder to turn her to face me. When she does, I can practically feel the daggers shooting from her gaze right at me. Ouch. I know she won't hear anything I say, so the only way I can think to get my message of love across is to show her. I lean down and crush my lips to hers. At first, she stiffens, surprised by my actions. Then she relaxes, her lips moving with mine as she gives a little moan. I don't know if it is the darkness still in her or her feelings for me, but it was like a dam burst and she starts deepening the kiss with an almost desperate hunger. Our tongues tangling together, fighting for dominance as her hands travel up my chest to my neck as she pulls me closer to her. I lift her up and press her against the wall while she wraps her legs around my waist. I press my body harder against her to free my hands, which enthusiastically roam all over her body. God, I've missed her so much. She pulls away from my mouth as she kisses down my jawline and neck where she pauses and gives me a tender bite. The pleasure that evokes in me escapes my throat in a deep moan. I inhale the wonderful scent of her hair as she kisses her way back to my lips and presses them to mine again. I can feel her hands run down my back. She then pulls my shirt up enough to put hands on my skin. Her touch sends sparks of electricity through my body as her hands trace the contours of my stomach and chest. I tremble with excitement as she moans on my lips.

I realize that I have to options right now. One, I take her somewhere private and continue what we have started. Two, I stop now and be the responsible adult we both need me to be. Knowing that there is still unresolved issues between us and students will be walking the hall at any moment, I grudgingly go with option two. I pull away from her lips and work on controlling my breathing. Her face is flushed and her lips look swollen as she also struggles to catch her breath. "Why did you stop?" She whispers, looking intently in my eyes.

"Roza, we are going to have an audience any minute now. It would not be good for either of us to be caught in such a compromising position." She nods a releases her legs from their hold on me. I back away so she can stand. I smile at her as I brush her hair out of her face. Suddenly we hear doors opening and footsteps falling on the ground. "You need to get back to Peter and continue your guard duty. We'll talk later."

"Just talk?" she asks with her man-eating smile I love so much.

"It will be a good lesson in self control, for both of us." I give her a little smile and then put my guardian face on and turn and walk away. I need to go take a cold shower.

Rose POV

I can't believe what just happened. Dimitri lost control and kissed me. Well, a little more than just kiss. That hasn't happened since Victor's lust charm. No, this was all him. It felt so right, but I don't really know what it means. Was he saying he wanted a relationship with me or was it just animal lust he couldn't contain any longer? I guess I'll find out later when we talk. Well, at least darkness of spirit has faded and I'm not so bitchy anymore.

I find Peter and we walk to his next class together. I look up at him and I notice he is blushing. "What's going on with you? Why are you turning all red?" He looks over at me, smiles shyly and turns away again, getting redder still.

"It's not me, it's you. Your emotions are betraying you. Who were you with just now?" It takes me a second to get what he is talking about, and then I start to blush. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. You don't have to say. But if you ever want to talk about it, I won't ever tell anyone. I can be pretty useful when it comes to relationship stuff, if you know what I mean." I do know what he means. He was right when he said Adrian loved me.

"Thanks. Could you tell what Dimitri felt this morning?" I need to know before it drives me crazy.

"Oh sure. He's real easy to read." For him maybe. When he puts his guardian face on, I can't make heads or tails of what he is feeling. "As soon as he saw you, his whole being lit up with love. Just like you. It's like you guys are on the same frequency." I think I'm gonna like having an empath as a friend. He's very useful. He starts to laugh a little and start blushing again.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because of the way you both were feeling after your fight. I thought I needed to get the garden hose to cool you two down." Oh God. How embarrassing.

"Anything else?" Let's not talk about _those_ feelings.

"Yeah, he doesn't care for Alex. There was a lot of anger and jealousy when Alex was holding you after your fight. He was more jealous of Adrian though. I think because your feelings are deeper for Adrian than Alex." Whoa. I didn't realize that myself. My feelings for Adrian are very strong, but as friends. "And he's worried about you. He feels very protective of you. That was almost as strong as his love."

I think back to the conversation we just had and the things I accused him of. Man, was I being a childish bitch. "Did you sense that he felt ashamed of me?" I need to know if I am totally off base.

"No, I didn't get any feeling of shame from him. Guilt, yes. But not shame." I feel like such an idiot now. This little talk with Peter would have served me better _before_ I opened my big mouth. Good going Rose.

**Sorry it's so short, but I'm trying to figure out exactly where I'm going and what I want to do with some of these characters. I have some ideas, but if you have any, let me know by reviewing.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks to everyone for the wonderful reviews and story ideas. You put me back on track and I hope you like where it's going. I think it's going to be good. **

**Again, I don't own Vampire Academy. I just love it.**

**Dimitri POV**

Man, that cold shower was just what the doctor ordered. Only Rose can undermine any amount of control I've fought to maintain with no effort on her part. Just one look from her and the battle is on. But what she told me is still running through my head. She said she would sacrifice being Lissa's guardian, something she has been working toward all her life, just to be with me. I was more important to her than what others would say about us. She wanted to be selfish and happy, and she deserves to be. I have to admit, her rebelious spirit is contagious. I'm tired of putting _them_ first. Ahead of my happiness. Ahead of Rose. I can't do that anymore. Not after seeing her again and knowing how much she loves me. She challenged me to be a stronger man, a man willing to display his feelings for her for all the world to see. I want to be that man, for Roza. I need to tell her right away. Where's my cell phone?

"Hey Comrade." She sounds cheerful.

"Rose, I would like to continue our earlier conversation from this morning. Could you meet me at my room after dinner?" We will definitely need some privacy.

"Yeah, about that," she pauses. "Dimitri, I'm so sorry for biting your head off back there. That was the darkness taking over me. I mean, I still meant what I said, but the delivery sucked.

"I know, Roza. Just come after dinner, okay."

"No problem. See ya." she hangs up. She's coming. I am going to tell her that I need her by my side and I would do anything for her. I have no idea how we're going to make this work, but I know together we can figure something out. It's going to be a very long afternoon until she gets here.

**Tasha POV**

Christian answers the phone. "Hey Aunt Tasha. How have you been?" he sounds a little down.

"What's wrong, Christian. You don't sound like yourself." He can't fool me. I know him better than anybody.

"I just miss Lissa. She flew down to Alders Academy this morning to help Adrian." He puts a sour emphesis on Adrian's name. I thought they were sort of friends.

"I thought he was at St Vlads with you. Why is he there and why does he need help?" This should be interesting.

"He flew down to visit Rose. Do you need more of an explanation? You know how Rose can attract trouble." He sounds annoyed. I agree though, Rose attracts a lot of trouble, especially from the opposite gender.

"If you could elaborate, that would be very helpful."

"Well, Rose is there to do her field experience and she found another Spirit user. So she called Adrian, who of course, took off like a bat out of hell. Anyway, she apparently had this psycho guardian, Bloom I guess, become obsessed with her and kidnap her, after he knocked Adrian out into a coma. After Rose escaped and the guy was caught, she called Lissa to come heal him. So she and Guardian Belikov flew down there." Wait, Dimka left with her. He didn't tell me that.

"Wow, life around Rose is never boring, is it? When are Lissa and Dimka coming back?"

"Well, Lissa will be back tomorrow, but I guess Belikov has decided to stay until the end of the year, to replace the guardian Rose broke." He's staying there? He just can't stay away from her, can he? This is not good.

"Tomorrow will come soon enough. Then you'll have your girlfriend back. Is there anything you need?"

"No Aunt Tasha. As soon as Lissa gets back, I'll have everything I need." He's such a sweet boy. Too bad stupid, narrow-minded people don't give him a chance to show it.

"Great. I'll call again soon. Take care." What is it about this girl that has grown men falling at her feet? Sure she's pretty, but her attitude can get annoying real quick. There is no way I'm going to lose Dimka to her. I finally got what I want and I'll fight to keep it, even if I have to fight dirty. Maybe I should call Dimka to see what is going on. No. I have a better idea. I think Dimka needs a little visit, now.

**Dimitri POV**

'Knock-knock'. Rose is early. She must have skipped dinner to come talk. Good. I'm getting anxious to see her. I open the door. "Rose, you're earl.." The person looking back at me isn't my Roza. It's Tasha. This is very unexpected. I was planning on talking to her later, after Rose and I figured out how we were going to stay together. Talk about ackward. "Tasha, this is a surprise. How did you even know I was here?" Word must travel fast.

"I talked to Christian this afternoon and he told me. I was surprised I didn't hear it from you. May I come in." I don't really want her here since Rose will be here soon, and she doesn't much care for Tasha. If she sees her in my room, it might not end well. But I can't be rude.

"Of course, where are my manners? Come in." I step aside and she walks in and sits at the end of my bed. I take a seat on the desk chair. "Why are you here, Tasha?" I don't have time for small talk.

"I was going to ask you the same question." She seems annoyed. Maybe she suspects something about me and Rose. Should I tell her? She'll find out eventually anyway.

"Rose. I'm here to get the love of my life back. Tasha, I can't be your guardian. My heart belongs to someone else. I can never give you what you want." Now she looks very angry. Not another pissed off woman, I've filled my quota today, thank you.

"Dimka, don't be foolish. She's too young and immature for you. You'll tire of her shortly." Her face softens as she gets off the bed and kneals before me putting her hand on my knee. "Besides, I can give you what you really want, a family. Don't you want to be a father, Dimka? A house full of little ones, with your smile, laughing and calling you daddy. Isn't that what you want?" Yes, I would love that, but when I picture my children, they all have Rose's eyes.

"Tasha, I'm sorry, but it's not worth it without Rose." I saw a flash of rage in her eyes as the anger returns to her face.

"No. I will not let you take this dream away from me. I want a family, Dimka. I want _your_ children, and I will do anything I have to do to get what I want. What I deserve." Okay, now she is really scarring me.

"Don't say such things. That's not you."

"It is me. You will not leave me for _her. _You are mine Dimka, and I'm not letting you go." I think someone hit Tasha with a crazy stick.

"Tasha, see reason. Rose and I love each other and want to be together. We are going to be together and there is nothing you can do about it."

"Oh really? There are many things I can do about it. Don't forget that I am a Royal. I might not be the most popular, but I still have connections and influence. I can make both of your lives miserable, especially Rose's. She won't guard Lissa. She'll be lucky to guard some Royal's poodle. I also know she has enemies that wouldn't mind seeing harm come to her. You know the saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend? I can make friends, Dimka. Or you can forget all this nonsense and stay with me and live out our dream." Alright, now I'm pissed!

"Do not threaten me Tasha. I will never let anything happen to Rose. You're wasting your time with empty threats." venom dripping off each word.

"Oh, they're not empty. I have the means to fulfull every one of them. You are only one man. The only way to save your precious Rose, is to leave her and stay with me. Then she can still be Lissa's guardian, she can be anyone's guardian. She can still _be_. How much does she really mean to you? Are you willing to risk her career, her life for a few moments together?"

"You forget one thing, Tasha. Rose knows how much I love her. She'll put up a fight." Ha. Gotcha there.

"No she won't. Because you're going to convince her that you don't want her. I know you can do it Dimka. Her very life hangs in the balance. You stay with me and give me what I want and Rose has a chance at a normal, happy life. You leave me for her and she will be miserable, if she lives at all. Your choice." Why do these things keep happening to Rose. I can't put her life at risk, just for my happiness.

"Fine, I'll do it. I will remain your guardian and push Rose out of my life for good. You may have my body Tasha, but you'll never have my heart." That will always belong to my Roza.

**Rose POV**

The feel of his warm lips still linger on mine. He loves me. He wants me back, I just know it. Finally, my life is looking up. I don't know how yet, but I'm going to have it all. My big happy family, Dimitri, Lissa, Adrian and even Christian. And Alex. Oh God. What am I going to do about Alex? I can't hurt him. He's one of the most wonderful people I know. I was actually falling in love with him before Dimitri came back. I could never love him like I do Dimitri, that only happens once in a lifetime. But there was definitely something there. And now I'm going to break his heart. It almost feels like Mason all over again.

Finally, I reach Dimitri's room. I'm a little nervous. If everything goes the way I hope, there will most likely be some heavy celebrating going on.

I knock on the door and when Dimitri answers, he doesn't look like too good. "Hey comrade, I'm ready to talk. Lay it on me." I smile hoping it will lighten his dark mood, but it doesn't. This isn't boding well for my celebration.

"Rose, I've been doing a lot of thinking, and you were right. I am ashamed of the way I feel about you. It's wrong. I can't live with that feeling. I am going to stay with Tasha. I'm sure I'll eventually love her and we can have a family." I can't believe what he is saying to me. I think I stopped breathing because I started feeling dizzy.

"What are you talking about? I know you love me, and you're not ashamed of it. Peter told me. He can read people's emotions and I asked him about you. You love me Dimitri. Just as much as I love you. We belong together. I felt that much when you kissed me today." My voice is getting higher the more I talk. Tears are welling in my eyes.

"I do love you Rose, but I don't want a life with you. You can't give me what I want. We'll always be ridiculed and belittled wherever we go. Our charges will have to live with our shame. Our being together will be more trouble than it's worth. We need to just cut our losses and part now, before anyone gets hurt.

"But you can't just give up on us. We could leave this whole world behind us and live among humans if we have to. Please Dimitri, I need you." I feel the tears streaming down my cheeks as I practically beg him to stay with me.

"No Rose. We can't just run away. That's not the solution for all your problems." He says with complete control. That was a low blow.

"Isn't that what you're doing? Running away from me?" I can feel my hands and knees tremble as he is tearing my world into pieces.

"Not exactly. I feel like I am running toward something, not from. Tasha has more to offer me than you do." I start feeling nausious. It feels like he's leaving me all over again. I don't know if I can heal this time. I stand there for several minutes with out saying a word. My mind is racing trying to find a loophole in his logic. But the bottom line is not how he feels about me, but what he chooses to do.

"So, is this your final decision?" I look right into his eyes so I can see if he wavers at all. But he doesn't.

"Yes. I am staying here until the school year ends like I promised. Then I will be with Tasha." All of a sudden, I can't feel anymore. I'm just numb. "I think you need to go now. Curfew is almost here." He walks over to the door and opens it for me to leave.

"Right. Bye." I walk out and hear the door close behind me. As soon as it does, I run as fast as I can not really having a destination in mind. I just need to get as far away from him as possible. I run out into the desert that surrounds the school. I find a nice big rock to sit on while I let all my tears freely fall. My heart feels like it is being squeezed dry. I just wrap my arms around my waist and cry hard. Why did he have to do this to me, again. I eventually run out of tears and lay myself down by the rock. I just want to disappear into the surrounding dirt and rock.

**I know it's a pretty emotional chapter. But don't worry. Things will get better. Review and let me know what you think.**


	20. Chapter 20

**I know that last chapter was a bit of a downer, but it hopefully this one will be a bit better. I thought we could hear from someone we haven't before. Can you believe Tasha? The nerve. Thanks for all the reviews. They truly inspire me.**

**Again, I don't own Vampire Academy**

**Peter POV**

The moment I met Rose Hathaway turned out to be the best day of my life. It was like she was sent to this academy for the sole purpose of saving me. She new more about me than I did in one short conversation. I am a Spirit user. That's why I am the way I am. It is such a relief to find out that there is a reason for everything I feel, think and do, and that I am not alone. Rose doesn't judge me at all, but helps me whenever possible. Never once did she look at me like I was a freak, as everyone else at this school does. Rose has a way of making me feel good, she makes me laugh. I haven't done that in a long while. I love the way she doesn't take any of Jacob's crap. I notice myself becoming more confident and strong the more I'm around her. It's like she is sharing her strength with me. I can't explain it. She's the first person I can really call a friend since all the madness that is Spirit started. She even called in reinforcements to help me navigate through all the confusion. I couldn't believe who she called to help me, Adrian Ivashkov.

I had heard of Adrian, and flying hundreds of miles to help some pathetic kid was not something he would ever do. He's best known for always having a drink in one hand and a girl in the other. Never the same girl either. It's like he thinks of himself as a rock star. He has more money than God and spends it like there's no tomorrow. I don't think he would have ever consider going out of his way to help someone else if Rose wasn't the one to ask. As I've gotten to know him, though, he's not so bad. And he would do anything for Rose. He really loves her. He has been very helpful explaining eveything he and Lissa have discovered about this unknown magic. We've been working on teaching each other what we can do. The dream walking is really cool. I can't do it yet but I'm working on it. Rose even said she would be my guinie pig since she was used to Adrian doing it. The ability I really want to learn is healing. Lissa can do that.

Lissa is Rose's best friend and the first Spirit Rose knew. That fact that she actually brought Rose back from the dead is mind boggling. And the fact that they are bonded, wow. This morning when I saw Rose pull the darkness from Lissa was fascinating. I could feel the dark emotions in Lissa one second, and then immediately they vanished, only to reappear in Rose. I think she is right, too. Rose can handle it a lot better than Lissa. Lissa is too sweet and gentle for such darkness. She's very lucky to have Rose. Unfortunately, Lissa isn't going to be here long enough to teach me healing. Since the three of us are the only Spirit users we know, I think we will become good friends.

Speaking of friends, Alex has been very nice to me since the field experience has started. He's never been mean to me, but since he is assigned to guard me with Rose, he has taken the time to get to know me. I think Rose has a lot to do with it. He loves her too and would never do anything to upset her. He feels this overwhelming need to protect her, which is funny since she can kick his butt.

Jacob, on the other hand seems to have this overwhelming need to annoy her. He enjoys getting a reaction from her. Sometimes I think he may have a death wish. He has always been one to get any girl he wanted, that is until Rose came to town. They way she puts him in his place is delightful to watch. One day he is going to push her too far. Dumb ass.

"Earth to Peter, come in Peter." Rose is waving a hand in my face. I must have zoned out.

"Sorry, what?"

"I was just telling you that I am going to go talk to Dimitri after dinner. Alex will walk you to your dorm." She is feeling very excited. Based on the earlier conversation we had about his feelings for her, she's optimistic about what he'll say.

"Why are you going to talk to Guardian Belikov?" Alex seems a little annoyed but he definitely has no idea as to their relationship. But I won't say anything to him. It's not my business and I would never betray Rose that way.

"I don't know. I think he wants to talk to me about what happened with Bloom." Her feelings of guilt and deception are pretty strong but he seems to buy it. Poor clueless bastard. I can feel that she does have strong feelings for him, but they are overshadowed by her love for her mentor.

"They're flying him out of here tomorrow. Taking him to the Court jail. I'll feel much better when he's locked in a cell a thousand miles away and can't possibly hurt you anymore." It's nice to feel Alex be so protective of Rose.

"Yeah, me too." We all just sit there in silence for a minute recalling the events a few days ago. Then Rose gets up and leaves me alone with Alex and Jacob. I might as well be sitting alone when they start talking about people I could care less about.

It's just past curfew and Rose isn't back yet. I hope everything went the way she wanted it too. She deserves to be happy and he seems to make her the happiest. Just then someone started knocking on my door. I open to see some guy who lives on my floor. "Just thought you'ld want to know, I saw that Hathaway girl that's guarding you running out toward the desert. She looked upset." I thanked him and left to find Alex. This isn't good. Obviously, he didn't tell her what she was hoping to hear.

I get to Jacob's room and knock on the door. Alex opens and looks at me puzzled. "Peter, what's wrong? Why isn't Rose with you?"

"She went running toward the desert after her talk with Belikov. Someone said she looked upset. We need to find her. She isn't familiar with what she can encounter out there. It's not like Montana." He is starting to get worried. He turns back into the room and puts his shoes on and tells Jacob and me to stay here. I don't think so.

"I'm going with you. She's my friend too." I'm getting tired of people thinking I'm weak because I'm Moroi and a little different. He just stares at me a moment and finally gives in.

"Fine, but the sun will be out soon. When it gets to be too much, I want you to come right back, got it?" Geesh, he can be so bossy. I don't plan on telling him that I don't plan on coming back until she is found, so I lie.

"Of course. No problem." We sneak out of the dorms and head out toward the edge of the school grounds. We decide to split up. He went east and I go west, with cell phones in hand to let the other know when we find her. The sun is rising fast and it is getting pretty bright. I'm starting to get weaker and I find myself slowing down. Maybe Alex was right. No, I can't go back. I have to find my friend. She needs me. I start feeling faint and the need to sit and rest overcomes me. I see the perfect rock to lean on. As I walk over to it, I notice something brown blowing in the light breeze. It looks like hair. Rose's hair. I run over to her and my heart just about breaks. She is just laying on the ground in a fetal position, her eyes, red from crying, staring off into oblivion. Her face is dirty from the dirt and dust sticking to all the tears that ran down her face. She looks broken, not like the strong guardian I had known. The odd thing is that I can't read any emotions from her. She's just numb. "Rose, I need to get you back to the dorms. It can be dangerous out here and it's past curfew." I put my hands on her shoulders and pull her up to a sitting position. She doesn't seem to even notice my presence. "Rose, look at me. Rose!" I put my hands on her face and turn her to look at me. A flash of recognition fills her eyes and she finally focuses on me.

"He said he doesn't want me." was all she said. What. An. Idiot. I know how he feels about her and I don't understand why he pushes her away. I don't really know how to comfort her.

"Come on, Rose. We need to get you back to the dorms before we get in trouble." She doesn't move. I try to help her to her feet but she isn't cooperating and I am too week to carry her. So I call Alex and let him know where we are. About ten minutes later, he comes running up to us. As soon as he sees her, I'm hit with worry, confusion and anger radiating off him.

"Rose, what's wrong? What the hell happened to you? Did Belikov hurt you?" I saw her flinch when he mentioned _his_ name. She didn't respond. Alex must have realized she wasn't going to answer him now so he picked her up and like a sleeping child and started carrying her back toward the school. As I followed behind, I could hear him talking to here. "It's going to be okay Rose. I'll be right here with you. You have to come back to me Rose."

We managed to slip past the guards and get to my room. Alex laid her down on my bed and took off her shoes and pulled the blankets on top of her. He leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek. I could feel the worry and love he felt for her engulf him as a tear escaped down his cheek. Just as he was about to step away and leave, she reached out her hand and grabbed his wrist. He stopped and looked down at her. She slowly moved her head and looked him in the eyes. "Stay with me" she whispered to him.

"Always." he answered as he climbed in next to her and pulled her into his arms. She laid her head against his chest as he caressed her back while she drifted off to sleep. I was also getting tired so I layed myself down into Rose's bed on the floor. Hopefully Rose will find her way back to us soon.

**Rose POV**

I wake up to hot breath on my face. I notice two strong arms tightly wrapped around me and I am starting to feel too hot. I pull away a bit to cool off and open my eyes to see Alex's sleeping face. Why is Alex here next to me? I rack my brain trying to remember what happened the night before. I remember being happy on my way to be with Dimitri. Dimitri. The ache in my chest comes crashing back as I remember our conversation. He doesn't want me back. I remember running, and a rock, and crying. That's all I can recall until now. He must have found me and brought me back. He really must be my guardian angel, always there for me when I need him. I know I need to tell him about me and Dimitri but I'm afraid he'll leave me. How selfish am I? I don't know if I can survive if he left me too. He has been my saving grace ever since I met him. Just looking at him now eases my heartache a bit. It gives me hope that I can move on.

I like looking at him sleeping. He looks so peacefull. I move closer to him and give a small kiss on his lips. It may be my last chance after he finds out why I ran off last night. He starts to stir and opens his eyes. I give him a slight smile to let him know I'm okay. He returns with an even bigger smile. "Good morning. Are you feeling better?"

"Getting there." He looks like he wants to ask me what happened, but I don't think I can talk about it just yet. So I snuggle up closer to him, burrying my face in his his neck and chest. I feel his chest rise and fall with his breath and I try to push everything else out of my mind. I want to stay like this all morning, but I know reality will find me eventually. But I do what I can to postpone it. My bladder, though, isn't going along with my plan because I suddenly feel the need to pee. I groan and pull away from Alex's warm embrace.

"What wrong?" He looks worried.

"Nothing. I just need to use the bathroom." He relaxes and let's me climb over him to get out of bed. I almost step on poor Peter who was obviously kicked out of his bed. As I wash my hands I glance at the mirror and almost go into shock. I look awful. My face is tear-stained and dirty and my hair looks like a family of rats made a nest in it. My eyes are red and swollen from all my crying. I'm surprised Alex didn't run off in fright when he saw me this morning. I wash my face and try to calm my hair down with my fingers. It's a little better, but not much. What I really need is a shower. Luckily, it's Sunday, our day off and most of the students are sleeping in. I go back to the room to grab my toiletries bag, a towel, fresh clothes and Alex to come stand guard. The hot water feels so good, I just stand there letting all the tension run off me and down the drain. I'm starting to feel human again.

I tell Alex to leave and get ready for breakfast. He's hesitant but I promise him I'm not going anywhere without him, so he obliges. It gives me a chance to talk to Peter alone. He tells me about how he found me, Alex carrying back to the room and me asking him to stay with me. Peter is one of the few who know about Dimitri and me and he never judges me for it. I tell him what Dimitri told me and he seems as confused as I am. "It totally contradicts what he's feeling. I don't get it. Something must have happened before you saw him." he tries to reason.

"Maybe he just decided to go with his head instead of his heart. That's the second time he has pushed me away. I'm not going to let there be a third." I can't. My heart just can't take that kind of abuse.

"What are you going to tell Alex? I didn't say anything to him about Belikov."

"I guess I have to tell him the truth and hope he understands and doesn't leave." God, I hope he understands.

"Well, you still have me. I'm not going anywhere. I'm sure the same goes for Lissa and Adrian too. We won't leave you, Rose." What did I do to deserve such good friends.

Peter, Jacob, Alex and I walk to the dining hall and meet Lissa and Adrian, who was just released from the infirmory. They don't know the latest developement, so I'll have to tell them after I talk to Alex. Luckily, no one mentioned anything to them during breakfast.

Afterward I pulled Alex aside while the Peter, Lissa and Adrian went to practice magic Adrian's room and Jacob went to who knows where. I didn't really care as long as he wasn't bothering me. We walked over to a bench away from everyone else so I could talk to him in private. We sat down and I took his hands in mine and looked into his eyes. "First, I want to thank you for staying with me last night. It really helped."

"Anytime." He says that know. "But can you tell me what that was all about? They way you looked, it scared the hell out of me. What happend?" Well, here goes.

"The reason I transfered here to do the field experience was so I could get over a broken heart. Dimitri and I fell in love while he was mentoring me at St Vlads." His eyes go wide for a second and I can tell he is holding his breath. I squeeze his hand to get him breathing again. "We both knew it was wrong and it wouldn't work out, so he decided to become Tasha Ozera's bodyguard and maybe start a family with her. He wasn't going to leave until the end of he school year and I didn't think I could still function seeing him everyday knowing he chose her over me." I pause to see if he wants to say anything but he stays silent. "So when I was offered to come here I jumped at it figuring I could get over him quicker if got away from him. And it was working too. I met you and you made me feel whole again. I started feeling love again." I saw a small smile to that admission. "But then he came here because he felt like he needed to protect me and he still loved me. Peter told me what he was feeling. After Adrian woke up, we talked and I got really bitchy and accused him of being ashamed of his feelings for me and that is why he chose Tasha. I told him that I still loved him but I wouldn't be with someone who was ashamed of me so I gave him an ultimatum." Alex still sat there very still with no expression, listening. "After I stormed out the door he came after me and kissed me. I thought that maybe he changed his mind and wanted me after all. He said we should talk later. That's why I met him after dinner. When I got there he told me he didn't want me. He still loves me but didn't want the hassle of having a life with me. He wants a family and of course I can't give him that. He broke my heart, again, so I just ran as fast as I could. Then I cried all the tears I will every cry for him and when I was done, I just layed there waiting for world to swallow me up."

He didn't move or say anything for several minutes. I wanted to say something but I thought it might be better to let him absorb all this and get his thoughts in order. I looked down at our hands not wanting to see the rejection that might show in his face. Finally, he spoke. "You still love him." It wasn't a question. I nodded. "If he came back today and said he changed his mind and wanted you back, would you?" That's a tough one. My heart and my head each wanted something different. So I told him the truth.

"I don't know. He has already broken my heart twice. I don't think I could handle it again. But I do still love him. Maybe if you asked if he came back a year from now I could tell you no. I'll always love him, but I have to move on." I look up into his eyes.

"Were you just using me to get over him?" he looks a little angry.

"No. I didn't even like you at first, remember? The only reason I let you in is because the more I got to know you, the more I liked you. The feelings just got stronger the more I was around you. You make me feel good again and I don't want to not be with you."

"Do you love me too?" He looks intently into my eyes with this question.

"Yes, I believe I'm starting to. I don't think I could take it if you left me too. You're the only one who makes me feel again." He takes that in and is silent again for a few minutes. He takes his hands out of my grasp and stands up to leave.

"I need a little time to think about this. It feels like you lied to me and I just need some space." I just nod as I look at the ground. My heart starts aching again knowing I hurt him. He starts to walk away and I pull my knees close to my chest and wrap my arms around my legs as tears start to fall. I didn't think I had any left after last night. A sob escapes my throat and I hear Alex stop in his tracks.

"Don't do this to me Rose. It's not fair. It kills me to know you hurting." He says still facing away from me.

"I'm sorry." I manage to whisper between sobs. The next thing I know his arms are around me, moving me onto his lap as he holds me tight. I reach my arms around him too and hold on as tight as I can. He rests his cheek on the top of my head and sighs.

"I'll always be here for you Rose." I smile as I feel my the ache in my chest start to fade. I think I'm going to be okay after all.

**I hope you liked it. Review and let me know.**


	21. Chapter 21

**I don't own Vampire Academy**

**Alex POV**

I am so whipped. Rose just confessed that her heart was broken by someone she loves more than me, and I still can't leave her. I don't know what spell she put me under, but I am powerless against her charms. All she has to do is ask, and I'll give her anything she wants. Knowing that Belikov hurt her so badly makes me murderous. I want to inflict him with as much pain as possible. I also want to keep her close to me and put her heart back together for her. I will do whatever I need, to keep her from hurting again.

Luckily, today is our day off from field experience, so I can stay by her side all day if she wants. And it seems she does, because she hasn't broken contact with me all afternoon, whether it's holding my hand, sitting in my lap or holding on to me. It's like I'm her life support, and if she lets go, she might disappear. No way I'm letting that happen so I gladly stick to her like glue where ever she wants to go.

We go to Adrian's room so she can say goodbye to Lissa, who is flying back to St Vlads today. Adrian is going back with her, to Rose's dismay. "You're leaving me too? Do I stink or something? Everyone I care about seems to be running away from me as fast as they can." She then looks at me and smiles. "Well not _every_one." I was a little worried there for a second.

"Don't fret Little Dhampir, I'll be back next week to work with Peter. We'll do something special, just us, when I get back." He walks over to Rose and kisses her on the forehead. He pulls away and glances over at me, right next to her, and gives me a mischevious smile. I don't think he will ever stop vying for Rose's affections. At least he won't be around for a week and I'll have her all to myself. Oh, except when she's dreaming. Damn him. Rose just smiles back and gives him a hug.

"Sounds good, Adrian." Hmm, doesn't sound good to me. She walks over to Lissa and gives her a big hug and they speak quietly to each other. I can't hear what they are saying, but it looks like goodbyes and promises to be safe and call. That sort thing. Finally we take them to the school runway to meet their plane. I know Rose is going to miss them and all, but the sooner they leave, the sooner I get her alone. I know I'm selfish, but with the bomb she dropped on me this morning about her mentor, can you blame me?

We spend the day cuddled up together in the dhampir common area watching cheesy movies and eating junk food. Rose's favorite, pizza and brownies. Her other friends she met when she arrived, Katie, Susan, Tim and Mike walk in and get caught up on everything that has happened since field experience started. Rose and Belikov's relationship isn't mentioned, obviously. Some things don't need to be made public. Rose hasn't had much time to visit them lately, so she is excited when they join us.

We are having fun laughing and making fun of the movie, when Belikov comes walking in. Rose instantly tenses and squeezes my hand. I look at her expecting to see heartache and pain on her face, but instead she looks annoyed. I turn to look at him and I just glare. He's making her uncomfortable, which makes me uncomfortable. "Rose, I need to speak to you. It's important." He tells her matter-of-factly.

"You're speaking to me now, so keep going." She doesn't budge.

"Privately." Oh. Hell. No. Is he insane?

"Fine." What? Is _she_ insane? She gets up off the couch, but to my surprise she doesn't let go of my grip and pulls me up with her. He just looks at her and raises an eyebrow. "I don't go anywhere without Alex. That's as alone as you're going to get me. Take it or leave it." Yes, yes, yes! We follow him outside away from foot traffic.

"I thought you would like to know that this morning, when the guardians were transporting Guardian Bloom to the jail at the Royal Court, the plane went down. They can't find him in the wreckage. It looks like he escaped." Rose gasps and puts her hand over her mouth. I put an arm around her shoulder and pull her closer to me. Belikov doesn't seem to like that because he glances at me with anger in his eyes. "We have increased guarding rotations to ensure he can't get in, but you need to be on your guard and don't go off by yourself." She just nods.

"Don't worry, she won't be alone. I won't let anything or _anyone_ harm her. Ever again." I see a flash of pain in his eyes but his face stays the same, stoic.

"Also, you need to keep this information to yourself. The Queen doesn't want it known that someone escaped from her security. So don't think about embarrassing her. She already doesn't care for you, and pissing her off more will not help your future with Lissa." he advises.

"Do you really think I would do that? Like I need someone else pissed at me." she seems offended.

"The thought occured to me, yes. Just, _please_, be careful." He looks into her eyes as if silently pleading with her.

"I can take care of myself. Besides, I have Alex here watching my back."

"Always." I say looking right at him. He nods to us and then takes off. Rose turns to face me and she looks a little freaked out. "Rose. I promise you I won't let Bloom touch a hair on your beautiful head." She gives me a little smile and I lean down and lightly kiss her lips. I wasn't sure what her reaction would be to that. After Belikov, I wasn't sure if she was ready. But as soon as my lips met hers, she kissed me back. Relief washes over me as I increase the intensity briefly before pulling away. I don't want to push her too far. I look in her eyes to see if she is okay. She gives me a big grin.

"Thanks Alex, I needed that." Anything to make her happy.

Rose POV

My first encounter with Dimitri since that night went a lot better than expected. I made sure Alex was with me and Dimitri was in full guardian form. Keeping it all business made it much easier. But the news he delivered wasn't welcome. Guardian Bloom had escaped. I don't know if he would try to come after me again or not, but I had to stay alert in any case. I asked Alex to stay with me that night, since I wasn't going to be guarding Peter that night, and he didn't hesitate. I don't know what I would do without him.

We stayed up for a few hours in my bed talking about the upcoming Real World Scenario of our field experience coming up in a few days. We were excited. We were going to be like real guardians with real silver stakes and ear pieces to communicate with each other. The location of the exercise was at a open air street mall in a nearby town. It's very big with lots of stores, restaurants, movie theaters and whatever else you could think of. We were going very early in our morning so we could experience guarding in sunlight and darkness. The darkness part made me very nervous. Strigoi threat increased when the sun went down. I decided I needed to tell Alex what Mason had told me about some Strigoi coming for me. He accepted everything I told him without doubt and said he would watch over me. That's what guardian angels do, right?

The day finally came for our trip to practice in the real world. The school chartered a couple of busses to take us to town. Alex and I sat together with Peter and Jacob behind us. Dimitri was coming along on the trip and of course he was on our bus. He was in charge of explaining the rules.

"Okay now everyone listen up. We will be there for four hours. Each novice will do two hours in partner guarding, an hour each of near and far guarding. He or she will also do one on one guarding of each of their two Moroi for one hour each. Each partnering will have two guardians supervising you and in constant communication. Keep your communicators on so we can hear you at all times. Remember the goal is to protect your Moroi from outside threats, mainly Strigoi. But you must be inconspicuous. If you look too obvious, a Strigoi will know you are a guardian and will be looking for the Moroi. You need to blend in. Also, please do not hurt the humans." He says this last part looking right at me.

"Why are you only looking at me when you say that? I lived among humans for two years and I didn't hurt many of them." I don't know why I'm being singled out. Well, maybe I do. Jacob just starts laughing behind me. "It's not my fault boys don't understand what 'hands off' means." I say as I look back and glare at Jacob.

Before we get off the bus when we arrive, we are handed our stakes and ear pieces. Our guardian supervisors are Guardian Rogers and Dimitri. I had a feeling he would be. Alex and I decide to do partner guarding first with him as far and me near guard. I walk around with Peter and Jacob with Alex staying farther back. Boys aren't really into shopping so it was a bit agonizing. We just strolled from store to store walking around but not really looking at anything. I start to notice that at every store we go to, the same group of 5 teenage boys go into it also. Every time I glance over to them they look away. They look to be about 14 -15 years old. "Rose, you seem to have some groupies following you around." Alex tells me as he laughs.

"I know, I see them. They're harmless boys, annoying but not threatening. They'll get bored soon and move on." I hope.

"Get rid of them Rose." Dimitri tells me through the ear piece.

"But you said not to hurt the humans." I remind him.

"There are other ways to discourage them from following you."

"Fine." I walk over to the boys and give them my best glare. They freeze with eyes wide. "If you don't stop following me, I'm going to beat the crap out of you." I say as menacingly as I can. I must sound pretty intimidating because they all took off running.

"Rose..." I can see Dimitri shaking his head in the distance.

The next hour I was guarding Jacob alone. We walked by a Victoria's Secret store and he thought it would be fun to drag me inside. "Rose, I want to buy you something nice that you can wear when you start guarding me at night." He walks over to a rack with lingerie that hides nothing. He holds up a pink one that was a sheer mesh flyaway babydoll with matching panties. "I like this one. You want to try it on?" He waggles his eyesbrows up and down.

"That one looks more like your style than mine. You can try it on if you'ld like, but I don't think pink is your color. Maybe this one." I say as seriously and loud as I can as I hand him another one in the same style but in black. I know he is just trying to get a rise out of me and I won't give him the satisfaction.

"But Rose, I wouldn't look half as hot in it as you would." he grins.

"Yes, that's true, I would look devestating in it. Too bad you'll never see." I put the items back on the rack and head out of the store. I take a quick look over at Dimitri and he looks a little ticked off. Jacob follows me out and puts him arm around my waist. I know Dimitri is watching and I don't want to get into trouble for beating Jacob to a pulp, so I simply remove his arm and keep walking. "What do you think you're doing?" I ask.

"We have to blend in, right? Well I think pretending to be a couple is the best way to do that." He says as he puts his hand on the small of my back. He then starts letting his hand slide down to my bottom.

"Dimitri?"

"Rose I am going to tie my shoe so I won't be able to see you for a few seconds." I know exactly what he is saying. I grab Jacob's hand off my butt and then punch him in the gut so fast no one around us sees. He starts to cough a little and holds his stomach.

"Your going to get in trouble. I'm sure Guardian Belikov saw that."

We both glance back toward Dimitri and he is just finishing tying his shoe. "I think he missed it. Sorry." He keeps a space between us after that.

The third hour I guard Peter. It's getting dark now so I increase my concentration. We talk about Spirit and how he is doing dealing with the darkness, classes and what an ass Jacob is. One topic we never brought up was Dimitri. Mainly because he can hear every word we say. He asks me about being shadow-kissed and I mention my latest discovery of seeing ghosts. I also let it slip about Mason warning about the Strigoi coming after me. I trust Peter and know he wants to help me.

"Rose, why didn't you tell me about this. It's very dangerous for you to be out here if there is any truth to that warning." Dimitri says.

"Would you have let me come if I told you?"

"Probably not." he answers.

"That's why." Nothing was going to keep me away from this.

For the final hour, we were back to pair guarding and I was for guard. It was actually a relief to be away from boys for a while. I did my job watching my surroundings. I noticed a man, about low to mid twenties following us. He's human. Ugh. Not again. He follows me for about ten minutes. "Alex, there is a man tailing us over by the Cinnabonn."

"Rose, you need to get rid of him." Dimitri tells me again. How come I always have to do the dirty work?

"And I can't hurt him?"

"That's correct."

"And I can't threaten him?"

"I would prefer you didn't cause a scene." I'm running out of options. Then I remember Lissa. I can try to use my Rose Compulsion.

"Okay, you asked for it." I warned him. I stop and glance over my shoulder to the man and give him my best man-eating grin. He smiles back. I turn back around and walk over to a store window and stop and look at it. I see his reflection in the window and I see him walking up to me. I turn and look at him and smile again. "You see something you like?" I hear Dimitri groan in the earpiece.

"Yes, actually, I very much like what I see." he says looking me up and down.

"I'm Rose by the way and you are?"

"Dan."

"Dan, would you go across the mall and get me a frozen yorgurt?" I put my hand on his shoulder and run it down his arm.

"Of course. What flavor?" he looks a little flushed.

"It doesn't matter. Whatever you choose I'm sure to enjoy. I'll wait right here for you and then we can get to know each other better."

"I'll be right back." he walks away in search of the yogurt.

"Rose, I told you not to hurt the humans." Dimitri says.

"I didn't. I barely touched him." I retort.

"Not physically, no. But when he gets back and your not here..."

"You left me no other option. It worked didn't it?" I reply. Why is he hassling me?

A few minutes later, we are told to head back to the academy. Alex and I walk on either side of our charges as we head to the bus. Right as we get to the bus, I am overcome with the worst nausea ever. I think I'm going to be sick. That's when I saw them.

**I hoped you liked this chapter. Since the last couple chapters were pretty sad, I wanted to liven it up a bit. Tell me what you think by reviewing. **


	22. Chapter 22

**I'm glad you are all enjoying the story. I hope I continue to please.**

**I do not own Vampire Academy**

**Rose POV**

Their bright red eyes are the first thing I notice, as this group of Strigoi come walking toward us. They don't seem to be in a hurry, just sauntering over. The closer they get, the worse my stomach feels. I am standing in front of Peter and Jacob with Alex and Dimitri next to me forming a barrier between them and the oncoming threat. "Alex, take them to the bus." Dimitri yells as he motions to the two Moroi behind us. Alex grabs their arms and pulls them toward the bus where the rest of the students are. Of course we were the last to get there since Jacob had to stop for coffee for the trip home. But, I noticed that when they left, the Strigoi paid no attention to them. They didn't even glance their way. Obviously, feeding wasn't their main objective. They must be the ones Mason warned me about, the ones coming for me, although I have no idea why.

There are eight Strigoi who stop about 15 feet away from Dimitri and I. I hear footsteps behind me but it is just Alex and four other guardians who came over to help us fight. We all have our stakes out and are ready to kick some Strigoi ass. But, they don't advance, just study us, well mainly me. All of a sudden, the one in the middle, I assume the leader, steps forward a few steps. I gasp loudly when I finally see his face. I know him. I killed him. This can't be possible. "Isaiah."

"No, but I understand your confusion. I am Ezekiel, Isaiah's twin brother." He states to me. Then he turns to the tall Strigoi on his right. He looked like he was a Moroi before he changed. "Kill her." With that, the tall Strigoi runs at me and almost knocks me down. I manage to dodge his body just at the last minute. I spin around and stake him in the heart before he is able to stable himself. Ezekiel looks extremely pleased with my performance since he has the biggest grin on his face. "Very impressive. I had to test you, I hope you don't mind. The vision is true after all. I've waited an awful long time for you Rose." What the hell is he babbling about?

"I'm so glad you approve. Now my life is complete." I say with heavy sarcasm. He just laughs. "I don't know why your waiting for me, but if it's to kill you, you're wait is over."

"You were right about her, she is a fiesty one." he says over his shoulder to someone in the back. The mystery person walks up to stand next to Ezekiel and I am finally able to see his face, Guardian Bloom. I can hear Dimitri mumble something in Russian that didn't sound very polite, and Alex automatically steps in front of me in a protective stance.

"Hello again Rose. What's wrong? You don't look happy to see me. I'm sure happy to see you." Bloom grins at me. "I see Black here is still acting as your protector. How noble. And foolish."

"Hmm. Interesting. I thought it would be the other one." Ezekiel muses looking over to Dimitri. Okay, is anyone else here confused or is it just me?

"Bloom, how are you involved with the likes of him?" Dimitri asks.

"They found me after I escaped. Since we have a mutual interest in finding our sweet Rose here, we teamed up."

"I think it's time for the evil villian's monologue that explains to us what the hell you're talking about. Cause I have no clue." I tell Ezekiel.

"If you'd like." he starts. "About one hundred years ago, Isaiah and I came across someone you would today call a psychic. She told us of a vision she had about Isaiah and the future of our world. She said that the Chosen One, the greatest hunter our world has ever known, is coming. The Chosen will be a dhampir, kissed by the shadows and teetering on the edge of darkness and light. If the Chosen One is awakened on his 18th birthday, Moroi will be the hunted instead of Strigoi. She also warned the One will be guarded by a protector to keep him in the light. The Chosen One will be known when he kills my brother and his companion. Or should I say when _she_ kills him." My mind goes numb. He couldn't be talking about me. I'm just a novice with a bad attitude. I can't be the one he's talking about. He must be insane. Well, that explains his association with Bloom.

"I think you're crazy. There is no way I'm any 'Chosen One'. You must have heard her wrong." I explain.

"It all fits, Rose. You walk in the shadows and the light when the Dragomir Princess brought you back from death. You killed Isaiah and it seems you have a Protector." He sounds so sure of himself. It does sound a lot like me, which doesn't make me feel good at all.

"What Protector are you speaking of? She has many people around her who will do anything to keep her safe." Dimitri asks.

"So it seems. Bloom apparently gave us the wrong person. No matter. He will still be useful. No, it is quite clear now who her protector is." he motions his hand over to Alex who is still standing in front of me, ready for battle.

"That's damn right! You'll never touch her." Alex says with such conviction, you'd think he knew his role all along. I glance over to Dimitri who looks disappointed. Maybe he wanted the job.

"Yes, quite the fierce protector. But don't worry. We will not need to fight, tonight at least. We brought a little incentive for Rose to give herself to us freely." He nods to two Strigoi standing by their van, the kind that has no windows except for the windshield. One opens it up and pulls out someone who can barely stand and has a burlap bag over his head. They drag him over to Ezekiel and stop. The poor guy looks like he has been beaten, with dirt and blood on his clothes. His hands are also tied in front of him. "Would you like to see who was first mistaken as your guardian, Rose?" My heart is aching because I have a pretty good idea who it is, and it is breaking my heart. He pulls off the sack from his head and my suspicions are confirmed. It's Adrian. He looks unconscious.

"Adrian!" I scream hoping he'll wake up. "You bastard! What did you do to him?" I feel the rage start to engulf me as I start to run over to Adrian to pull him away from those monsters. I want to kill them for what they did to him. I feel hands tightly grabbing onto my arms holding me back.

"He was putting up a good fight. You would've been so proud, Rose. For a Moroi he did pretty well. Of course he was no match for us. We did have to drug him, though, to keep him from warning you. Yes, I know all about how he can communicate with you through dreams. I didn't want to spoil the surprise, now did I?"

"Let him go!" I yell. Ezekiel just laughs.

"That's not how it works. You come willingly with us and be awakened on your 18th birthday next week, and we let him go. If you don't, well, I'm sure you can figure it out." He smirks and signals with his hands to the Strigoi holding Adrian up and they quickly take him back into the van. I bust free from the hold around me and lunge at Ezekiel, but he is super fast. He is quickly in the van and I start to fight a slower one, that stepped in front of me, and manage to stake her through the heart. Alex is right behind me and kills one that was trying to grab me from behind. The others get away in their vehicle and speed off. I try running after it screaming for Adrian but it's no use. When the van is out of sight, I fall to my knees and stare blankly in the direction I last saw it. The nausea in my stomach has disappeared along with the Strigoi.

"I promise you Adrian, I will do whatever it takes to get you back." I say outloud to myself. Alex catches up with me and kneels down with me. He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight as I clinge to him.

"We'll get him back, Rose. Together, we'll get him back. I won't let them hurt either of you. I promise. I'm your protector remember?" he whispers in my ear. I can't speak with the lump forming in my throat so I just nod. He pulls away from our embrace and looks me in the eyes. "No one will ever hurt you while I'm alive. I promise." He leans in closer and gently presses his lips to mine as if sealing his promise with a kiss.

Alex helps me up and puts his arm around my waist lending his support as we walk back to the bus where everyone is waiting. Dimitri is standing outside the bus watching us. He looks so sad, and jealous. Everyone on the bus saw the whole encounter and look at us in silent awe as we board the bus and take our seats. I don't notice anyone. I just lean into Alex trying to get as close to him as possible. My mind is racing trying to figure out how to get Adrian back. I look over to Alex who has a sad look on his face. I then realize that he just made his first kill. Not something you take lightly. I take his hand in mine and squeeze it gently. I lean in closer and whisper in his ear. "It get easier, I promise. You did the right thing. You freed his soul. The person that he was would be thankful." He looks at me amazed like I just read his mind. I just know what he's going through.

When we get back to the academy, I ask if I can have the night off and sleep in my own bed. Guardian Sidorov agrees and gives both Alex and myself permission go to our own rooms. Yeah, right. Like we are going to be seperated after what we've been through tonight. Alex sneaks into my room and we settle into my bed. We decide to wait until morning to make a plan to rescue Adrian, when we weren't so tired and frazzled. At first we just hold each other close to comfort each other, my head resting on his chest. But there is still too much pain to fall asleep. I move my head so I can see his face and I see the pain still in his eyes. I lean in and brush my lips with his. I look into his eyes again and see the pain receding, replaced with a hunger. He adjusts his body to get into a better positon and presses his lips to mine with more intensity. I respond by wrapping my arms around him, pulling him as close as I possibly can and deepening the kiss. It's the best distraction I could ask for. All thoughts of Strigoi, visions, Adrian and Dimitri seem to float away. All that is left is Alex and me. My heart starts to beat faster as my craving for his touch and the way he tastes, feels and smells consumes me. I slowly run my hands down his back, enjoying the feel of his muscles beneath my touch, until I get the the bottom of his shirt. I pull that up and over his head and throw it to the floor. I roll him over so I am now on top, straddling his waist. I lean over and kiss him hungrily as he lets a deep moan escape his throat. He moves his hands along my bare legs, hips and under my night shirt caressing my back. I sit up and remove my shirt for him and lean down again to kiss his chest and move my way up along his neck and jaw until I meet his lips again. We continue for awhile kissing and feeling each other from the waist up, keeping our undergarments on. We seem to have a mutal understanding that losing ones virginity in an attempt to escape pain is not how either of us wants it to happen. Eventually we settle down into a comfortable embrace and wait for sleep to take us.

I realize then that the way I feel in Alex's arms, safe, happy and loved, is the way I always want to feel. He has taken care of me like no one else has been able to, and I want to be able to do the same for him. I need to let him know how I feel. "I love you Alex." I whisper hoping he's still awake to hear me. He doesn't say anything. I guess he fell asleep. Then I feel him pull me in tighter.

"I love you too, Rose." I smile and finally drift of to sleep.

**I hope you liked that. Now we have to see if they can get Adrian back. Review and let me know what you think.**


	23. Chapter 23

**I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.**

**Rose POV**

I love waking up in Alex's arms, so warm and strong, holding me tight. I feel so good, looking into his eyes, like there is nothing in the world to bother me. Then the events of the night before come rushing back, Adrian is in trouble. "You need to sneak back into your dorm before we get caught." I smile at Alex.

He leans over and gives me a tender kiss. "If I must. Then we need to figure out how we are going to get Adrian back." We agree to meet up at breakfast to make a plan and then he leaves to get ready. I slowly get myself out of bed and into the shower. I dress for the day and am about to head out the door when someone starts knocking. I open the door to see Peter standing there.

"Peter, I thought I was going to meet you and the others at breakfast. Is something wrong?"

"I need to talk to you first, alone." He walks past me into my room and sits in my chair.

"Okay, what's this about?"

"Belikov." He is the last thing I want to talk about. My heart still stings when I think of him.

"Peter, do we have to? I would really rather focus on getting Adrian back right now, if you don't mind."

"There's something wrong with him. Yesterday during the shopping trip, I could feel all the emotions coming from him, and man, were they all over the place. He still loves you Rose. More than anything. There is also so much regret and guilt consuming him, I'm surprised he can function. I get the feeling there is another reason why he's keeping you away." Why is Peter doing this to me?

"Whatever his reason is, there isn't anything I can do about it, is there? Am I supposed to beg for him to take me back? I practically did that and it got me nowhere. I'm with Alex now and he loves me and I love him. He would never hurt me like Dimitri has." I cross my arms over my chest and look at him with a end-of-conversation look. No luck.

"You can't fool me Rose, I know who you love more. And I'm telling you, talk to Belikov again." With that he gets up and heads out the door. Ugh. Let's just pile on more crap on top of everything else I'm dealing with right now.

I follow Peter to the dining hall where Alex and Jacob are already waiting. We get our food and start brainstorming. "Why don't we just get, like, a whole bunch of guardians and storm the place?" Jacob starts.

"Sounds good, but we don't even know where he is." Alex reminds him.

"Hopefully we'll get a message of some kind letting me know where the hell I'm supposed to meet them. I hope it's not a 'we'll come to you' situation." That would be bad.

"They're probably already prepard for a fight. Knowing your temper for going in without thinking, like in Spokane. It's going to be difficult getting them by surprise." Alex says. The whole Spokane referrence makes me tense.

"That wasn't my fault. Mason, Eddie and Mia went off alone to kill the Strigoi. I went to bring them back before they got themselves killed." My temper is getting a little heated. "And then Mason had to come back to 'rescue' me after I told him not to and got himself killed." My emotions are starting get the better of me. I turn to face Alex. "You can not put yourself in danger just to save me. Our main objective is getting Adrian back alive. Keep him safe. I can take care of myself. I don't need another death on my hands because of some duty to love. _They_ come first." Alex looks at me shocked and confused. I never spoke of what happened in Spokane to him before.

"Rose, y_ou_ are my main priority. I'll do what I have to do to keep you safe."

"How do you think I'll feel if you get killed trying to save me? How do you think I feel now, when I think of Mason knowing he's dead because he let his feelings for me lead him back into that house to save me, only to get himself killed?"

"You're alive aren't you? Maybe he would think his sacrafice was worth it." He's getting very defensive.

"I'm not alive now because he came back in. I'm alive because Mia came back and used her magic to distract Isaiah so I could kill them. He was being foolish. I don't want you to be foolish." I think he is starting to understand my reasoning a little, when his expression relaxes a bit.

"I won't be foolish, Rose, but I will do what I can to make sure you're safe." I can see now he isn't going to budge. Men can be so stubborn.

"Fine, if you're going to be that way then I have a request. We need more training on any techniques that will help us. I want to ask Dimitri if he can train us when we aren't in class to get us better prepared." I see him flinch when I mention Dimitri's name. Talking of Spokane reminds me of how Mia and Christian had used their magic to help us escape. "I wish Christian was here." I think out loud.

"Who's Christian? Another boyfriend? Jeese Rose, you're going to have your own football team at this rate." Jacob laughs.

"For your information, Christian is Lissa's boyfriend and a fire user who helped us escape that day. His aunt has been teaching him offensive spells to help fight against Strigoi. It could be pretty useful on our mission here." I would never ask him to help, though. I couldn't do that to Lissa. It's bad enough I'm putting myself in danger. She can't lose both of us.

"Well why didn't you just say so? I specialize in fire. I can help." That's a shocker. Jacob offering to help someone else.

"You really want to help rescue Adrian? It's dangerous and you could get killed." I warn him. His help would be great but I'm not sure he's up to it. "Can you even do spells like that?"

"I can do some. I'll practice all week, while you and Alex are training." Wow. He's actually serious.

"Okay, you're in." Peter looks left out. But I don't really know what he could do to help during a fight. Strigoi are almost impossible to compell and he can't heal yet. Telling me how they're feeling isn't very helpful. "Peter can you work with Jacob on his magic this week?" Hopefully he'll feel more involved.

"Yeah, sure." He seems a bit happier. "Too bad you don't have a clone. We could use a decoy. While they are busy with the double, you and Alex go and bust Adrian out." If only.

"Well, we can put a wig and a dress on Jacob. That might work." Jacob just glares at me, while the three of us practically fall out of our seats laughing. Then an idea hits me. Someone who looks enough like me that we could be mistaken for each other. That sounds so familiar,

"Hey, what about the other Rose? The one Bloom thought I was. Maybe she could help us?" I say excitedly.

"Why would she want to help us? Where would we even find her?" Alex asks.

"I don't know. We'll have to do some research. I think she went to school with Bloom and he mentioned she was assigned to a Zeklos, Daniel I think. Jacob, do you know him?" If he knows this guy, that would mean that Jacob could actually be useful. Will miracles never cease.

"I know _a_ Daniel Zeklos. Distant cousin. I can call and see who is guardian is. If it is her I can see if she'll help us." Things are looking up. Morning classes are about to start, so we all get up to head to class. I start following Peter when Alex grabs my arm.

"Rose, I know you probably blocked it out, but you start guarding Jacob today. Sorry, babe." He looks at me nervously like I'm going to start a scene of something.

"Oh, right. After you." I motion to Jacob. He smiles that smile that tells me my control is going to be tested to its limits today. We start walking down the hall and I can see from the corner of my eye that he is moving his arm to put around my waist. "Don't even think about it." I hiss.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Rose." he fiegns innocence.

I realize from being around Jacob all day that he has a lot of friends, all annoying. All the guys keep eyeing me and asking Jacob if they can 'borrow' me. I was doing really well keeping my temper under control, too. That is until one asshole friend of his actually came up and started circling me, looking me over like I was cow he was interested in buying. "Hmm, not bad. She looks pretty sturdy. Nice hips too. Perfect for breeding." It's funny. He didn't even see it coming. One second he was standing in front of me with a stupid smirk on his face and the next he was on the floor, blood from gushing out his nose. Has he just met me? Doesn't he know not to poke the bear? Of course this had to happen just as Dimitri was walking by.

"Rose!" he yelled. Damn, this is so unfair. I turned toward him and put my guardian face on.

"Yes Guardian Belikov? Did you need something?"

"Come with me please." he says as he turns around and walks away expecting me to follow. We walk out to the main quad and sit on a bench by a tree. "What's going on Rose? Did you really need to punch that kid?" he looks concerned.

"He was literally treating me like cattle. His said I had perfect hips for breeding. I'm not going to just stand there and be treated like that. I don't care who he thinks he is." Temper still hot. An angry look crosses his face and I don't think it is directed at me.

"I'll speak with him later." he says. Haha. Maybe that idiot will get a matching black eye to go with his broken nose. "How are you doing since last night? That is an awful lot to handle." He looks like he wants to hold my hands like he did when he used to talk to me before, but he holds back.

"I'm doing alright. Me and the guys are working out a plan to get Adrian back and I wanted to talk to you about it actually." He looks at me with a confused look on his face.

"Rose, you and your friends are not going to do anything about Ivashkov. The Queen has assembled a task force to rescue him. You just stay here, safe and out of trouble, if you can manage it." I hated when he talked to me like a child.

"I can't just sit here and do nothing. This is Adrian we're talking about. One of my best friends. I promised him I would get him out of this." My voice is starting to get higher the more I talk.

"I understand, Rose, but you are they're target. We need to keep you here. If you run out there and get captured, your both dead or worse, turned. I can't let that happen to you. I won't let it happen. Alex isn't the only one who would do anything to keep you safe." I know he still loves me just by looking at him now. I remember what Peter told me this morning so I decide to just go for it.

"What's the real reason you don't want me anymore Dimitri? Peter told me there is something else keeping you from me. Tell me, please." I see he is starting to crack. I put my hand in his and look him right in the eyes. "Please Dimitri. Please tell me." He closes his eyes and drops his head and sighs. I think I just broke him open.

"Tasha came by to visit me the day of our kiss, right before you came to my room to talk." Tasha, of course. God I don't like her. "She threatened your safety, your life, if I didn't stay with her. I couldn't let anything happen to you."

"You don't think I could take Tasha? I know she's a badass karate magic user and all but, come on camrade. I just killed two Strigoi last night without breaking a sweat. I think I can handle her." I'm offended he thinks so little of my abilities.

"One on one, I would bet on you anyday. But she has some power and influence to cause a lot of trouble. And you do seem to have a few enemies that she wouldn't hesitate to align with. I wouldn't be too surprised to find out she had something to do with Blooms escape. It would kill me, Roza, if something happened to you because I was so selfish."

"You just don't get it, do you? Even knowing that I could've been killed the next day, I still would've wanted to spend that day with you. You didn't even give me the choice." Now that's selfish.

"I thought you were happy with Alex." He says his name with distaste. "Don't you want a lifetime with him? Your _protector_?" Man is he sounding jealous.

"Ugh. Don't get me started with that whole protector thing. It's just going to get him killed. Just like Mason."

"Don't you believe in the vision? That Alex is your protector?" It doesn't sound like he believes it but thought maybe I did.

"No, I think it's stupid. But it doesn't matter what I think. Ezekiel believes it and that's all that matters." I put my head in my hands and groan. "Why do I attrack all the looneys?"

"Law of attraction, I guess. You attract what you are." He laughs. I'm stunned. I look up at him in amazement.

"Did you just make a joke?" He smiles. "You know you just insulted yourself too. You're attracted to me. That makes you crazy too." I smile back at him.

"I suppose you're right. I am crazy about you." he laughs again. I miss this. I miss being able to make him smile or laugh on the rare occasion he would let his guard down.

"Oh, before I forget, I wanted to ask you a favor. Would you be able to do some extra training with me and Alex this week? Show us some moves we don't know and help us get better? You never know if Bloom will show up here to get me. I want to be as prepared as possible." I hope I'm making a good enough case.

"Rose, I don't want you going out on your own to rescue Adrian. But, you do have a point. Yes, I will train you, just like back at St Vlads. I hope Alex can keep up." I have a feeling Alex might be in for some torture, Dimitri style.

**I hope you liked the chapter. Don't worry. It's going to get real exciting pretty soon. Review and let me know what you thought. They make my day.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. They are very helpful in creating this story. Keep em coming. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy, not me.**

**Dimitri POV**

I think I'm going to have a lot of fun this afternoon. Rose asked if I could give her and her 'boyfriend' some extra training this week. I always enjoy working with Rose, but training Alex is going to be a whole other level of fun. The poor guy has no idea what he signed up for.

I'm getting the practice dummies and other equipment out to use, when I hear the gym door open and footsteps walking in. I turn to see Rose and Peter walking across the floor. "Rose, I can hear you coming from a mile away. Next time you come in, I don't want to know you're even in the room until you've 'staked' me, got it? You need to practice your stealth. Strigoi have much better hearing, and will sense you coming. The element of surprise will be lost."

"Do you want me to go back and try again?" She says with one hand on her hip and a little attitude.

"Not necessary, I already know you're here. Next pratice, okay?" She nods. "Where's Alan, you did tell him about this, right?" I know his name, I'm just in a good mood and want to tease Rose a little.

She sighs as she rolls her eyes. "His name is Al_-lex_ and yes he knows to about training with you. He and Jacob just needed to do something real quick. Plus, I wanted to talk to you before he got here." This should be good. "I know you don't really like him because of how he feels about me, but please don't go out of your way to hurt him. I need him healthy if he's going to help me." Can't a guy have any fun?

"Do you really think I would take advantage of the situation?" Hell yeah I would. "I will not do anything other than our normal training. If he can't handle that, then maybe you need to reconsider who you have 'protecting' you." She looks back at me with pleading eyes.

"Dimitri, please. Just, don't kill him." she whines. A little smile escapes my lips just looking at her. Again she sees right through me.

"Fine, I won't hurt him, much." That's the best I can do. A minute later Jacob comes bursting through the doors with Alex right behind.

"I found her! I found her!" he yells running up to Rose. She grabs his arm and pulls him away to the other side of the gym with Peter and Alex joining them. They huddle up and start whispering. Real subtle guys. I walk over to them and they all go silent.

"What are you up to Rose? Who did you find?" She turns around and actually tries to give me a shocked expression. Does she think I was born yesterday?

"It's nothing. Just one of Jacob's assignments we're helping him with. Can we start training now?"

I know her too well to believe a line like that. She's still planning to go out and rescue Adrian. I think I might have to go against my better judgement and help her do what I know she's going to do anyway. Maybe this way I can keep someone from getting killed. "Rose I know you're planning a rescue mission to get Ivashkov back, if you let me know what you're up to, I'll help you." Confusion falls over her face.

"You want to help me save Adrian even though it will mean breaking some rules and going against direct orders?" She stares at me for a moment, then her face relaxes when she realizes what I'm telling her. "You'd really do that for me?" Haven't I been telling her this the whole time?

"Yes, Rose. Let me help you. What do you have so far?" She looks to the others and they all nod to her.

"Well, we have a rough idea about using a decoy. Jacob found the other Rose that Bloom thought I was and she has agreed to help us. He talked to her and she'll be here in two days. Jacob is going to practice with his fire magic with Peter so he can help distract the Strigoi to make it easier for us to stake them. There are still a lot of details to work out. Maybe you can help." Well, it's not a whole plan yet but it's a start. Definitly something here to work with.

"Of course, but now let's get started on the training part. If you are determined to go and fight, you need to be better. Now go run. Sixteen laps." I turn to look at _him_. "I expect you to beat Rose's best time. If you can't, one hundred push-ups." He just grins.

"No problem." Obviously he's never run with Rose. She looks a little annoyed him. This should be good. I turn and look at the other two.

"I guess you two can go practice using your magic, just don't burn the place down." I watch from the window as Rose and Alex run their laps. Rose is smoking the guy. When she is finished, she sits down and waits for him to finish. When he finally finishes, they come walking back in. "Give me one hundred push-ups Black. Rose, get started on the weights."

I watch Alex doing his push-ups. Everytime he doesn't go down far enough, I tell him "Doesn't count. Go down to the floor." I do this like thirty times. I have to fight to keep the evil smile from my face. He just glares at me. "Do I need to get Rose in here to show you how to do it correctly?" That seems to slap him back to attention as he starts going all the way to the ground. When I finally say he's finished, I send him to do his weights. He gets the weights set and I spot him. It looks like he is lifting too light of weights so I add more. He gives me an evil look. "You're almost up to what Rose can lift. Keep it up and you might surpass her one day, if you're lucky." Rose watches as Alex struggles with the weights and smiles to herself. Sometimes I don't think she knows how badass she really is.

When they're done with the weights, we walk over to the mats for combat training. I bring out some dummies and have them pratice their staking. Rose is right on, of course, but Alex is a little sloppy not always hitting the heart. "I want you to stake this dummy twenty times. If you don't hit the heart each time you will give me another one hundred push-ups. You have 30 seconds." He looks at me like I'm crazy. "Do I need to have Rose show you?" He glares at me and shakes his head as he gets ready to start staking. "Begin." He goes at it hard and fast. When he was done he looked at me with a triumphant smile. I just shake my head. "Eighteen out of twenty. Start your push-ups." He groans and gets on the ground and starts his push-ups. He did better. I only had to disqualify ten this time.

Next we go over to the mats. I spar with each of them, enjoying a little too much each blow I land to Alex. He'll have a few nice bruises tomorow. I pin him down, so naturally he has to do one hundred push-ups. Then I spar with Rose. I love fighting with her. She is so strong and fast, a real challenge for me. She doesn't hold back and got me good a couple time. Each time she does, Alex has to hoot and hollar for her. He's such a punk. But in the end I end up pinning her down. "Not bad Rose, but you can do better. One hundred push-ups." She rolls her eyes and then rolls over and starts her push-ups, without any mistakes.

When they're done I watch them walk out, Alex rubbing and shaking his sore arms. "Can you believe what Belikov did to me in there?" he asks Rose.

"Yeah, I can't believe it. He took it easy on you."

**Rose POV**

I actually enjoyed training with Dimitri today. I miss it. Alex had a bit of a hard time. He just isn't used to Dimitri's hard core style. Hopefully he'll get used to it quick or he'll be too sore to help with our rescue plan. Which isn't really much of a plan yet. Amazingly, Dimitri said he would help us. I'm so thankful to have such a kickass guardian on our team. I'm hoping he can even access more information we need from the task force the queen had assembled to save Adrian. Oh, Adrian, I hope you're alright. The guilt that is crushing my heart would be unbareable if I didn't use it to fuel me on.

I walk to the boys dorm with Jacob tonight instead of Peter. Not really looking forward to this, that's for sure. Jacob walks into the room after getting changed for bed wearing nothing but black silk boxer shorts. He sits on the bed and stikes a pose. "You like what you see Rose?" I laugh.

"I've seen better." I then walk out the door to get changed myself. I put on my long pajama bottoms and a big t-shirt that Alex gave me. I have big shirts of my own, but I think Alex wanted to remind Jacob that I was his girl. I walk back into the room and he is laying in his bed. I pull the covers off of him. "What are you doing? I get the bed remember? I won the bet."

"Oh come on, Rose. You know you want to sleep with me. Don't worry, what happens in this room, stays in this room. Now come on in." he pats the bed next to him. "I won't bite, unless you want me to." he smiles.

"If you want to keep those teeth, I suggest you get out of that bed now and sleep on the floor." I give him my best glare. He gets out of the bed and grabs his pillow and settles down on into the makeshift bed on the ground.

"You're no fun Rose. What's the point of having a hot, sexy guardian if you don't get any fringe benefits?" he complains. What happened to the half-way decent guy from this morning? I want that Jacob back. I climb into the now empty bed and drift off to sleep. During the night I am brought back to the ski lodge, the same porch I first met Adrian. I look around to see if I can find him. I see him leaning on the railing. "Adrian, are you alright?"

"Little Dhampir, I was going to ask you the same question. You look good." He says with a smile and a wink. Typical Adrian. That makes me feel better.

"I'm fine. Where are you? Are they treating you okay?" I am getting frantic. I just want to get him home safe. He walks over to me and holds my hands in his.

"I don't know exactly where I am. It's about thirty minutes from the parking lot you last saw me. I was barely conscious then but I stayed awake as best I could to try to figure out where they were taking me. I know we are in a house with a wooden porch with steps that creak. It sounds like there is a river or creek nearby. I can hear the running water. I couldn't see anything with that stupid bag over my head. They have me in a basement. There are about 5 Strigoi watching me and Bloom is here now and then. They are feeding me now because they wanted me to send you a message. They want to meet you in two days at the same parking lot. They want you to come alone."

"Adrian, I'm so sorry this happened to you. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to stay far away from me when this is all over. You just keep getting hurt because of me." I can't look him in the eye, so I just look at our hands.

"Rose, don't be silly. It's not your fault. I think it's kinda flattering that they thought I was the one meant to protect you." He laughs a soft laugh. I look into his eyes and smile.

"Well you can be. I have an idea. Can you conjure up some silver stakes and a practice dummy in this dream of yours?"

"Sure, but why? You don't get enough training during your waking hours, you need to practice in your sleep too? I've heard of being dedicated, but this is ridiculous."

"This isn't for me, it's for you. Can you stay with me for the rest of the night?" He nods. "Great. I'm going to teach you how to properly stake a Strigoi. When I come to bust you out, I'll bring an extra for you so you can better protect yourself. Hopefully you won't need to use it, but just in case. I want to eliminate any possible reasons I can't get you out alive." He goes along with it, mainly I think to make me happy. It does. We practice for hours and he does really well. The dream is starting to fade a bit which means one of us is waking up. "Adrian, I'm coming to get you as soon as I can. Please stay strong. I can't lose you."

"I know Rose. I'll be here waiting for you." His pulls me in and gives me a big hug. We hold each until the dream finally fades away. As I start to wake up, I notice an arm laying over my waist with a hand under my shirt touching my stomach. Alex must have snuck in during the night. I smile as I roll over to see his handsome face. When I open my eyes, I am looking into the wrong face.

"Jacob! What the hell!" I shove him hard out of the bed and he lands hard onto the floor. I stand over him, fuming. He stands up and is about to say something when my arms shoots out and punches him right in the eye. He falls back to the floor, hand over his eye.

"Shit, Rose. Overreact much. I didn't do anything. The floor was uncomfortable so climbed in next to you after you fell asleep. I never touched you."

"Your hand was under my shirt when I woke up. What was I supposed to think?" He gives me one of his annoying smirks.

"Sorry, I guess I can't control myself around you, even when I'm asleep." God he can be such a jackass. His eye is already swelling up and getting purple.

"You do it again, I'll give you a matching set of black eyes." I grab my shower bag and go get Alex to stand guard at the showers. I don't say anything about Jacob. I want him to see for himself. When we all meet up to go to breakfast, Alex sees the mark I left on Jacob.

"What did you do now?" he asks Jacob. He doesn't seem surprised.

"I didn't do anything. She's just touchy." Alex turns to me and pulls me to him.

"It looks good. It will probably last a while too." he smiles then leans in and kisses me. On the way to the dining hall, we pass Dimitri who stops us when he looks at Jacob.

"What happened to your face?"

"Rose happened to my face. Someone needs to put her on a tight leash. She's out of control." I think he's trying to get me in trouble. Maybe with another guardian it might work. Dimitri looks over to me for an explanation.

"He snuck into bed with me last night and I woke up with his hand under my shirt." Wow. The anger I saw in his eyes right then scared me a little. He grabbed Jacob by the back of his shirt and lifted him up about two feet off the ground.

"I think we need to have a little chat, Lord Zeklos." He said as he was dragging him down the hall. I should feel sorry for him, but I don't.

**I hope you liked this chapter. Review and let me know.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy, not me**

**Rose POV**

After Jacob returned from his 'chat' with Dimitri, he told me that I needed to go talk to him next. It didn't look like Dimitri did any physical damage, but Jacob sure looked scared as hell. I went to look for Dimitri trying to decide if I should tell him about my dream with Adrian last night. I hadn't told the guys yet, but I needed to talk to someone. I finally found him talking to another guardian, Rogers, I think. I stand there waiting for their conversation to end when Dimitri notices me. He quickly thanks him and walks over to me. "Rose, are you alright? I spoke with Guardian Sidorov about what happened to you last night, and he agreed that for Jacob's safety, you are dismissed from night guarding. You will sleep in your own room and begin guarding duty in the mornings." I didn't want any special treatment, but if I had to deal with Jacob's attitude much longer, he could possibly suffer permanent damage.

"I'm fine and thanks. He really knows how to get under my skin. Can I talk to you about something?" I'm going to tell him. Hopefully he can help me figure out where Adrian is being held.

"Of course."

"Adrian walked into my dream last night. He told me that Ezekiel wants me to go the parking lot of the mall tomorrow by myself. He also told me he's being held in the basement of a house by a river or something about thirty minutes from the mall." Dimitri just seems to ponder this information, not saying anything. "Do you think you can narrow down where he could be?" I ask hopefully.

"Yes, we have maps in the office. I will have to share this information with the official task force looking for him."

"Yeah I know. I guess the more people we have looking for him the better." That still isn't going to stop me from finding him myself. "Hey, I also need you to get me another silver stake." He looks at me as if I might be pushing it.

"What happened to the one I let you keep from the other night at the shopping center?" I'm not sure how he is going to like my idea of Adrian using it.

"It's not for me actually. I have an idea." He raises his eyebrow at me.

"Another one?

"It's still part of the first idea. Now are you going to listen?" he sighs and then nods. "I'm going to modify one by wrapping leather straps around the hilt so that Adrian can handle it. I showed him how to use one in our dream last night. He's not bad really. At least he'll have some protection on him when I bust him out. Even if he doesn't kill one, he can hurt them enough to give me a chance to stake them." I try to sound like I have it all figured out but when in reality, I'm just grasping at straws. He notices and shake his head.

"I don't think that is such a good idea Rose. We don't know what kind of condition he will be in when we get there, and even with your modifications, it can still be harmful to him." Why does he have to be so rational all the time.

"Just humor me, okay?" I give him my best puppy dog eyes and I see his resistance fading.

"Fine. I'll meet you at lunch with any information I get and one 'modified' silver stake." I smile and look at him thoughtfully. I still can't believe he is doing all of this for me. He could get into a lot of trouble if he gets caught. I can't stop staring at him as I think how lucky I am to have him here with me now. I move in closer to him and he gives me a puzzled look. I just ignore it and reach up and put my arms around his neck and pull him down to me and rest my chin on his shoulder. He hesitantly puts his arms around my waist and squeezes me tight.

"Thank you Dimitri. For everything." I whisper in his ear. He responds by giving me another tight squeeze. We stay like that for a while, neither of us wanting to let go. Finally I pull away enough to be just inches away from his gorgeous face as I look into those eyes. Eyes that leave me spellbound, unable to move or look away. I manage to gain enough will to overcome our gaze and walk away, but before I even start, he pulls me in closer and presses his lips to mine, very gently. This time he breaks contact first and stands upright, never looking away.

"I'll see you at lunch." he says as he starts to walk away. I stay rooted where I stand, my mind a blur with conflicting thoughts. Why does life have to be so complicated?

I went and found Jacob and took my post in the back of the class. He looked back at me and gave me a weak smile before turning around again. Hopefully the little 'attitude adjustment' Dimitri gave him will keep him off my back for a while. He looked afraid to even say anything to me as we walked to lunch, which was refreshing. I then saw farther down the hall another staged Strigoi attack. I instinctively pulled Jacob behind me and stood ready to fight but another novice fought and won. I haven't been attacked since the field trip. I guess they thought that since I already killed two real Strigoi, I didn't need to be tested as much. As we continued our trip to the dining hall, Jacob decided to break his silence. "Would you really risk your life defending me after all that I've done to you?" I'm not really sure where this came from, maybe something Dimitri said.

"That's what I've been training my entire life to do, isn't it? They come first. Even assholes like you. Aren't you lucky." I say with a bit of sarcasm. He just stares at me wide eyed.

"Hey Rose, I'm really sorry about how I've treated you. I should have more respect for you and the rest of the guardians." Wow. Dimitri must have konked him on the head or something. I won't complain though. I like the improvement.

"Well, you keep up this new and improved attitude of yours and I'll consider forgiving you." I give him a small smile to liven the mood a little. We get to our usual table and Alex is waiting with Peter. Jacob walks up to Alex and throws him arms around him. Alex just stands there stunned and completely confused.

"I love you, Bro." Jacob says. Alex pats his back with one hand.

"Okay Jacob. You're starting to scare me and everyone is looking at us." I can't help myself but laugh at the sight of them. Jacob releases his hold and walks to the line to get some lunch. "What was all that about?" he asks me.

"I think it might have to do with the little chat he had this morning with Dimitri. But I'm not sure. Could he be drunk?" I'm still laughing.

"No, if he was drunk, he would've tried to feel me up. He's a frisky drunk." That makes me laugh harder, which makes Alex and Peter start laughing. Just then Dimitri comes walking up, looking at us like we've gone mad.

"What's so amusing?" he asks with a straight face. Have you ever laughed so hard you had tears streaming down your face and you couldn't stop? I was having one of those kinds of laughs. I was getting a stitch in my side and could barely breath anymore. "Rose!" Dimitri barked trying to get me to calm down. It worked. I slowly started to regain my composure until Jacob walked back to the table, then the laughing fit started all over again. Dimitri just rolled his eyes, grabbed my arm and pulled me outside, away from the others. "What is wrong with you?" he demanded.

It took me a few moments, but I was able to pull myself together and finally answer his question. "Jacob's being a half-way decent person. It caught us off guard, that's all." He smiled at that. Then he got serious again.

"I have a general idea of where Adrian might be. There are many houses in that area but the task force is doing what they can to narrow down the exact location. It's not easy. They can't just go barging in without knowing for certain Strigoi are in there. It might take them a while." He hands me a map with circles drawn on it indicating where they are searching.

"It wouldn't take me very long to find the right house, being able to sense them and all." He looks at me confused.

"What are you talking about Rose?" That's right, I never told him about my latest discovery.

"The other night I was overcome with nausea when the Strigoi showed up. And as soon as they left, so did the nausea. It's like an uncomfortable warning system." He looked impressed.

"Well, I guess if you're supposed to become the best Strigoi hunter ever, you would need an ability like that." he teases. I know he doesn't believe in the vision any more than I do. "Oh, and here is the stake you wanted. It's one of my extras. I've even gone and wrapped it up so a Moroi could handle it. I just hope he doesn't kill himself with it." Ye of little faith.

"Thanks." I take the stake and pocket it. He walks me back to the dining hall so I can eat lunch before he turns to leave for his shift. The rest of us eat and discuss battle stratagies. We are all excited about meeting Rose Ann and seeing how much we look alike. I hope she can fool Ezekiel and Bloom enough to do any good. As we are talking, I look at Alex, and the way he looks reminds me of Mason. My heart starts hurting thinking how Alex might meet the same fate. I decide right then that I can't risk any of their lives. I'm going to have to make this a solo mission. Peter gives me a funny look, but I try to hide my emotions from him and just smile.

After classes are over, we go to train with Dimitri. Alex really isn't looking forward to it since he is still sore from yesterday. My assurances that it will get easier don't seem to help. I still beat him running laps but he did do better today. Still not up to my level, but an improvement. After we're done, I see Peter talking to Dimitri about something, but I have no idea what. When I ask Peter about it, he says he asked Dimitri to show him how to fight. I don't really believe him, but drop it anyway.

Since I no longer have to guard Jacob at night, I go back to my own room, even though I don't plan on sleeping there tonight. I take a shower and get ready to go hunting and save my best friend. I pack a bag with the two stakes, a first aid kit, extra water and some clothes. I sit down and write a note for the others to find when they come looking for me in the moring.

_Alex,_

_I couldn't put you, Peter or even Jacob in any more danger than I have. I hope you understand. I still need you to get Rose Ann and treat her like she was me. Have her guard Jacob but stay close to her like you are the protector Ezekiel believes you to be. I'm sure he will have someone watching, most likely Bloom and I need them to believe I haven't left. Treat her like you would me, and don't forget to train with Dimitri. Maybe you'll be able to outrun her. Haha._

_Stay safe, _

_Rose_

I put the note on my pillow and wait for the sun to rise, knowing everyone will be asleep. I slip out my window and climb down to the ground. I channel my inner ninja as I sneak out and head to the border of the school grounds. I hop over the sorry excuse for a fence they have and start out on my journey to find Adrian. Just as I'm about to start running down the road, someone grabs me from behind.

**I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Who do you think grabbed Rose? Review and let me know what you think. **

**Also, I am in the process of moving this week, so I might not be able to do daily updates. I'll try but I can't promise anything. I'm sorry the timing stinks. Just when it's starting to get exciting. Thanks for reading.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Did you like my little cliffie in the last chapter? Thanks for all the wonderful reviews.**

**As always, Richelle Mead owns the Vampire Academy series. not me.**

**Rose POV**

I'm about to take off down the road on my journey to save my one of my best friends, when I feel a hand grab my shoulder. Instictively, I spin around and attack with a punch to ribs. I'm about to throw another punch when I notice who I'm hitting, Dimitri. Of course. I should have known he would find me. Actually, I think I did know. He knows me too well, and I think Peter might have ratted me out. "Come to drag me back? Cause you know you're going to have one hell of a fight if you are."

"Rose, I'm not going to let you go off on your own and get yourself killed." He grabs my wrist and pulls me back toward the school. There is no way I'm letting him drag me back. I pull my arm out of his grip and start running. He quickly catches up with me and knocks me to the ground. He rolls me over so he can look me in the eye. "Have you lost your mind? I know you're good, but the odds are against you. He'll kill you." He looks desperate. I know he wants to keep me safe, but I can't just sit by and do nothing.

"He's not going to kill me, remember. He wants me turned. If worse comes to worse, I give myself up and he'll let Adrian go." I know it's a weak argument, but it's all I got right now. He looks at me as if he is trying to read my mind. Then realization crosses his face.

"You didn't want the extra stake for Adrian to defend himself. You wanted it so that he can kill you after you were turned, so you wouldn't have to live that life." I don't say anything to contradict him and he starts to panick, shaking his head. "No no no no. I won't let that happen. I can't live without you in this world." I hate seeing him like this, it's breaking my heart.

"Then help me. Help me find the house and then we can call in the 'Strigoi Swat Team' to come in and kill Ezekiel and his cohorts. I just need Adrian found as soon as possible. Please Dimitri, I promised him I'd do everything I could do get him out. He's counting on me." I plead with him. He just keeps shaking his head. I think I need to use some super Rose Compulsion and hope it works. "Please Dimitri, help me." I say with my best puppy dog eyes. He just stares into my eyes, but still not moving away. I slip one hand from his grip and place it on his cheek tenderly. I slowly brush my hand to the back of his neck and pull him down to me. He isn't resisting. When he is just inches from my lips, he closes his eyes as if realizing what I'm doing and tries to fight for control. "Please." I whisper. Lift my head up to close the gap between us and brush my lips to his. He doesn't move, putting up a good fight. I press my lips to his again, with my tongue lightly running along his bottom lip. I hear him moan and I know his resistance is slipping when his lips slightly part. I take the opportunity to gently bite his bottom lip, opening his mouth a little more as I slip my tongue inside to meet his. That did it. He pulls away and just gets caught in my gaze. He puts one hand under my back and pulls my closer to his body while the other runs up into my hair. He then presses down on my mouth with such hunger and kisses me with such intensity that my heart rate sky rockets and my head gets dizzy as I get lost in his kiss. I realize I have to pull away before I become a pool of goo and do whatever he wants. Wait, Dimitri Compulsion? That's so not fair. I need to gain back the control, so I push him over without breaking the kiss and roll over so I am now on top. I pull away and we are both breathing heavy, still gazing into each others eyes. I'm not giving up so I lean down and kiss him again. "Please." I say against his lips. I move my lips along his jaw and down his neck planting kisses along the way. I hear him swallow, still fighting. I move up to his ear and whisper, "I love you Dimitri. Please help me." I move back to his mouth and kiss him, letting all the love and passion I have for him flow through my lips. I can feel tears building up as I let all my emotions come to the surface. As I break away to look into his eyes, I can feel the wetness on my cheeks and I can see that he too is crying. I lay my head on his chest and he wraps his arms around me tightly as I let the tears flow.

"Roza" I can hear his voice catch just saying my name. I know he is just as stubborn as me, so I decide to try to compromise. I pull myself back up so I can see his face.

"Just help me find the house and I promise not to go in until the swat team says it's safe. You can tie me to a tree if you want but I need to be there." I can see him thinking about my offer. I think he knows this is probably the best he's going to get.

"You were right. You did put up one hell of a fight, one I quite enjoyed." he smiles quickly and then goes all serious. "I'll help you find the house, but you do not enter until I say it's okay."

"Sounds good comrade." I start to get up but he grabs me and pulls down and gives me one more passionate kiss. I love the electric feeling I get when he kisses me like that.

We start walking down the road. This is going to take forever. I wanted to take Adrian's Porsche but it's in the school parking lot and I doubt the guards would've let me just drive out. After about an hour, we come across a car parked on the side of the road. It looks like the owners parked it to go hiking in the desert. I pull on the door handle and it's unlocked. Stupid people. I get down and start to hot wire the car.

"Rose what are you doing? You can't just steal a car." Oh Dimitri.

"How else are we going to find the house if we don't move faster. Besides, I'll bring it back when we're done." I can't see his reaction as I'm still under the steering column trying to get it started. Finally the car comes to life. "Yes! Hop in comrade, let's put the peddle to the metal and go get my Adrian home." He reluctantly sits in the passenger seat as I pull out and onto the road. It's been awhile since I have last driven a car and I go a little crazy with the gas peddle.

"Rose, slow down please. Do you even have a liscense?" Dimitri asks while gripping the 'oh shit' handle, knuckles getting white.

"Yes, I have an Oregon one. I probably shouldn't have passed the driving test but the guy felt sorry for me. It was my third try." I don't think that reassured him.

"How did you even learn to hot wire a car?"

"Hello. Lissa and I were on the run for two years remember? You learn a few survival skills living in the human world." I don't know why he's so surprised.

We get to the first area circled on the map. We climb out the car and walk up to each house waiting for the nausea to come. Nothing. So we go on to the next area and repeat the procedure. Still nothing. I'm getting worried as we go to the last circled area. The sun is starting to set now, so I try to go as fast as I can. When we walk up to one house, I know this is it just by looking at how there are no windows. As I get closer, the sickening feeling in my gut starts up. Yep. Strigoi are here. "This is it." I tell Dimitri. He gets his cell phone out and calls the task force and gives them the address.

"They're on their way. Remember our deal. You stay out of the way until I give you the all clear." The fear that I had been keeping locked away was pouring out now, and not just for me but for Dimitri too. I know he's one of he best guardians out there, but not indestructable. We quietly walk back to the car and wait for reinforcements. The fear is starting to turn into panick as I wait knowing Adrian is so close. I need to calm down. I reach out and hold Dimitri's hand and squeeze tight. It isn't working too well. He must have sensed what I was going through because he pulled me close to him and held me tight, mummering something soothing in Russian. That seems to be working.

**I know it's shorter than usual but life is hectic right now. I'll post another chapter real soon. Review and let me know what you think.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy, not me.**

**Alex POV**

Peter, Jacob and I are waiting for Rose to get up and open the door. She must be really tired because after about 5 minutes and the third round of knocks she still hasn't opened the door. I try the knob and it's unlocked. I should have tried that sooner. I walk in and the room is empty. The bed doesn't even looked like it's been slept in. I look over to the other two and Jacob looks surprised but Peter, he doesn't. He just stares at the floor, avoiding my gaze. I look back at the bed and notice a piece of paper on the pillow.

_Alex,_

_I couldn't put you, Peter or even Jacob in any more danger than I have. I hope you understand. I still need you to get Rose Ann and treat her like she was me. Have her guard Jacob but stay close to her like you are the protector Ezekiel believes you to be. I'm sure he will have someone watching, most likely Bloom and I need them to believe I haven't left. Treat her like you would me, and don't forget to train with Dimitri. Maybe you'll be able to outrun her. Haha._

_Stay safe, _

_Rose_

I look over to Peter who has a guilty look on his face. "Did you know about this?" I say pointing to the letter. I see him flinch. I must have said that a lot harsher than I intended. But this is Rose we're talking about. She's out there alone going to meet Strigoi. What was she thinking?

"I knew she might try something. That's why I told Guardian Belikov. I thought he would watch her and stop her. Maybe he did and she's somewhere else right now." Okay, that makes sense. Belikov would never let her go marching off on some suicide mission. I need to find him and make sure Rose is alright.

We go to the gym, guard office and dining hall but can't find him and none of the other guards we meet have seen him either. The only other place I can think to look is his room. I so hope Rose is not alone in his room with him. I know how they feel about each other even though he pushes her away, Rose can be hard to resist. I knock on the door for a few minutes with no answer. I don't know which is worse, her being in there with him, or her not. Impatients and fear getting the better of me, I kick the door open and rush inside. Empty. Okay, so Rose is gone and Belikov is gone. I wouldn't think that he would go along with a crazy plan she might have thought up, but again, she is hard to resist.

"We have to tell someone." Peter pipes up. We walk back to the guard office to tell Guardian Sidorov that Rose and Belikov are missing but apparently they already know.

"Yes, we just received a call from Guardian Belikov. He and Novice Hathaway believe to have found the house Lord Ivashkov is being held in. The task force is on their way." Oh God. I don't like the sound of Rose actually being that close to Ezekiel without me there to protect her. But Belikov is there and other guardians are coming to help. She'll be fine. She's the best novice around and has already killed four Strigoi. She can take care of herself. Why does this not make me feel any better.

"Maybe we should do what Rose asked us to do and go get the other Rose. Her plane is landing here in fifteen minutes." suggests Jacob. He has been very helpful lately and I hope it lasts, but I'm sure the old Jacob will show himself soon.

"Right, come on. Let's go get Rose Ann." I lead them down the hall and we walk to the runway to meet our Rose decoy. We get there and people are coming down the steps off the plane. Then she emerges in the doorway. At first I think it's my Rose walking off the plane. But it can't be because she's at the Strigoi house right now. This must be the other Rose. But she looks just like her, it's uncanny. As she gets closer, I can see the differences in the two become more clear. But the similarities are huge. They have the same hair color but different lengths and same eye and skin color. My Rose is a little shorter and curvier. Rose Ann has a more tall and slender build, but just as beautiful. I would bet good money that they are related. I reach out my hand to introduce myself.

"You must be Rose Ann. I'm Alex, and this is Jacob and Peter." I motion to the others. She smiles a smile very similar to my Rose.

"Yes I'm here to help as best I can. I'm really looking foreward to meeting my double. Is she here?" she asks looking around.

"Umm, no. She kinda took off with Guardian Belikov last night looking for Adrian. They found where he is being held but are waiting for back up." She nods in understanding. She notices Jacob staring.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's impolite to stare?" she glares at Jacob. Oh yeah, just like my Rose. "Nice black eye. Walk into a door?" she motions to his face. I see blood rushing to Jacob's face. She's funny. I like funny women.

"Uh, no. Just a little misunderstanding with Rose yesterday." Rose Ann starts laughing at his awkward confession. She has such a wonderful laugh.

"I think I'm going to like this girl." she says.

"Well, I don't think he'll give you any trouble. I think he learned his lesson, finally. Rose is his guardian for the field trials so you will take her place. She believes that Bloom or someone else might be watching us and needs you to take her place so they don't know what she's up to." She nods to me and looks over to Jacob.

"I don't know what your misunderstanding was with Rose, but I'm assuming she showed great restraint. I am not always so disciplined." I can see Jacob's face go pale. Poor guy. I guess being as beautiful as she is, she must put up with the same crap from guys Rose does.

As we walk back to the academy, I catch her up on the plan and student life in general. I let her know everything Bloom did to Rose and I can see her face redden with anger. I don't know anything about her really so I decide to just start asking. "So, were you and Bloom really engaged like he said?" Might as well get right to the point.

"No. We dated when we were in school, but he got really possesive and jealous. I broke up with him but he just didn't get the hint. After graduation, I was assigned to Daniel and we moved to Europe to get some distance between me and him. Daniel and I are not romantically involved. He's my friend as well as my charge." A sense of relief washes over me at the thought she isn't _with_ him. I look over at Peter and he smiles at me and tries not to laugh. He can be really odd sometimes.

Reluctantly, we seperate. Peter and I go one way and Rose Ann and Jacob go another to class. I know she is a guardian and all with over two years experiance in the real world, but I can't stop thinking about her and worrying. Plus I am worried about my Rose and if Belikov is keeping her safe. I hate not having any control.

Finally it's lunch time. Peter and I go meet Rose Ann and Jacob and start walking to the dining hall. As we get with in a few yards of them, I see a black figure emerging from behind a tree. Great! I push Peter toward Rose Ann for her to guard while I go attack the 'Strigoi'. I'm excited to show Rose Ann how well I can fight. I hit my attacker with extra force to the chest and he stumbles backward. I don't let him recover and side kick him in the legs bringing him down and quickly bring down my stake over his heart. I walk back over to the others, a little out of breath with a huge grin on my face I can't wipe off. Rose Ann looks impressed because she is also smiling at me. "That was very impressive Alex." She says as she puts her hand on my shoulder. I feel my face get hot all of a sudden. I hear Jacob laughing.

"I never thought I'd see the day a girl, oh excuse me, a woman would make you blush." I think the old Jacob is finding his way back. Damn. The guardian I just took down, Rogers I think, comes over and congratulates me. I thank him and we continue on to lunch. As we cross the quad, I see another black figure coming our way. I didn't think the guardians would do back to back attacks like that, but what the hell. All the more chance to show Rose Ann what I'm made of. I go to attack again, but the guardian pushes me hard to the side and goes straight for Rose Ann. He starts fighting her which doesn't make sense. All the school guardians know the situation and who she is and agreed not to test her. Being the professional Rose Ann is, she begins fighting back. I can't tell who the attacker is because he has black face make-up underneath a ski mask so his face is totally obscured. He finally gets her in a behind the back choke hold.

"Hello my sweet Rose. I didn't see you at the raid this morning, so I figured the only way I was going to see you again was if I came to you. So here I am. Ezekiel wants me to keep you alive so he can awaken you. I have a better idea. I'm just going to kill you. I have a feeling that once a Strigoi, I would be on the top of your list of victims. I can't have that now can I?" I can't believe it. Bloom is here. Man, the security here really sucks. I start to panick seeing the fear in Rose Ann's eyes. She is struggling to get out of his grip, but he's too strong for her. She may be good, but she's no Hathaway.

I quietly go behind him and kick him hard in the back. It takes him by surprise since he is so focused on her that he loosens his grip enough to let Rose Ann escape his grasp. Now we are both circling Bloom ready to attack. He moves like he is going for me but then suddenly he is at Rose Ann. Man he's fast. She dodges the first punch he throws but his kick catches her off guard and and she falls. He quickly pounces on her before I can stop him. He picks her up by her hair, whimpers escaping her lips. I can tell she is trying not to let him know how much it hurts her. Once she is on her feet, he puts his hands around her throat like he is going to snap it. I freeze.

"That's right, Black. You take one more step, and I snap the bloom right of this Rose." Oh God, now what do I do?

**So, how did you like? Please review. It makes my day.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy, not me.**

**Rose POV**

It was all going to be over soon. The Strigoi Swat Team, as I like to call them, is on it's way to rescue my Adrian from the clutches of that whack job Ezekiel. I desperately want to run in there with them but I promised Dimitri I would wait until the coast was clear. Considering everything he has done for me, it's the least I can do. I know he loves me and doesn't want me to get hurt. I don't want him to go in either, but I don't really trust anyone else to do the job as well as he can. He is a badass, you know.

Dimitri and I have been sitting quietly in our little stolen car for about an hour, just holding each other, when we see bright headlights from at least four SUVs coming our way. Dimitri flashes our headlights a couple times letting them know where we are. The cars all turn off their lights and pull over. "Remember Rose, stay in the car. I promise, as soon as I think it's safe, I will come get you." He starts to get out and I grab his hand. He turns around to face me and I just stare, wanting to memorize his face in my mind. Not like I don't already have it committed to memory.

"Please be careful and come back to me." I plead.

"I'm always careful. I love you Roza." He leans over and gives me one last kiss before getting out to join the other twenty or so guardians ready to go take the house.

"I love you too." I whisper.

I watch from the car as all the guardians disperse in different directions, securing the perimeter first before going to the house. Dimitri is on the team that will enter the building first. My heart is racing in anticipation of the whole encounter. I've never really been the religous type, but right now I can't help but pray that Dimitri and Adrian will get out of this alive. From what I've seen of the house, there are no windows so the only way in or out is through the front door. Maybe even a backdoor, but I never went around it to know for sure. Watching how the guardians are surrounding the house, though, there must be one. Dimitri is at the front enterance with five others, stakes in hand ready for the attack.

They haven't entered the house yet, but seem to be trying to listen inside for any movement. God, why is it taking so long? I look down at my hand holding my stake and my knuckles are turning white from gripping it so hard. I also notice that I am sweating and trembling all over. Well, wouldn't you if the man you loved most in this world were running into a house of dangerous, evil blood suckers to rescue another man you love, your best friend?

It is so quiet outside that my heartbeat seems to reverberate throughout the car. Suddenly, I hear a loud BANG as one of the guards next to Dimitri kicks open the door. I think I jumped about two feet off my seat. I didn't think it was possible, but my heartrate kicked up a notch, about ready to fly out of my chest as I watched my love run inside. I was breathing so fast that I had to stop so I could hear what was happening in the house. The most god awful screams came flooding to my ears, so loud it sent chills down my spine.

As I am watching the house, I see three figures running out the front door. The guardians that are surrounding the area quickly descend upon them and stake two of them fairly quickly. The third puts up a good fight and knocks the guard he's fighting out and runs off. He looked really familiar, but with my mind buzzing from everything going on, I couldn't remember why. About five minutes later, all the screaming stopped. I sit in my seat, tense, waiting for someone to come tell me it's over and I can come in, but no one does. I slowly and quietly get out of the car, leaving the door open so I don't make a sound. I carefully creap up closer to the house, using the few trees as cover. I see the guardians casually start to leave the house, and I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. It's over. I see all the guardians get in the vehicles and leave, shaking their heads. Does that mean Adrian isn't here? Where's Dimitri?

I move from behind the tree to find him. That's when my whole world came crashing down. I heard a scream that will haunt me until the day I die. It was Dimitri's. All the adrenalin kicked in and I ran into the house faster than I ever thought possible. I frantically look around trying to find Dimitri, but I don't see anything. I start walking toward a hallway when I stumble over something. When I look down, it is a body of a Strigoi. I can't help but just stare at it. Then my gaze drifts over the area and I see many more bodies, all bloody, all Strigoi. Then I notice that the nauseous feeling I get when the undead are around is still lingering. They're not all dead. That realization, and the fact I heard Dimitri scream, feels like I was plunged into ice water. I can't move. My feet seem to be stuck to the floor because they aren't responding to my wishes. That is until I hear a pain filled groan coming from below the floor. Suddenly, I am searching everywhere for a door or opening of some kind. I'm feeling along the floorboards and the walls. I'm getting frustrated because I can't find anything. I go back and check the other rooms again. Nothing. I open the coat closet, again and don't see anything. On a hunch though, I move the items on hangers to the side and take a closer look at the back. I push on the wall and it moves. I take a deep breath as I push it open as quietly as possible. I have one stake in my hand and the other in my belt. As I look inside, I notice stairs leading down. This must be the basement Adrian told me Ezekiel was keeping him in.

I conjur up all my ninja powers as I tip toe down the steps, careful not to make a sound. I stop when I hear someone talking. It's Ezekiel. "Rose, you finally made it. Please, come down and join us won't you?" Damn. He heard me. I carefully continue down the stairs and step into the room. I automatically take in my surroundings as I have been trained to do. The room looks like I imagine a prison cell to look like. There is a toilet, a cott and a chair that Adrian is currently tied to. He is awake, but weak. It's when my gaze reaches what is next to Adrian on the floor that my heart stops. Dimitri. He has blood on his head and on his neck like he was bitten. He's awake, but struggling. He's lost a lot of blood.

"Roza, run! Go get the other guardians." He says as loudly as he can.

"No! Dimitri!" I scream as I try to run to him, only to be stopped by Ezekiel blocking my path.

"Not so fast Rose. We will get to them later. I'm glad you decided to come to your senses and find me. Of course, you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble by just meeting me at the parking lot like I requested." Was he serious?

"I hate to disappoint you...No wait, I'm happy to disappoint you, but I'm not here to join you in your evil quest to take over the world." Dark sacasm dripping off my words. "I'm here to take Adrian and Dimitri back with me." I am putting every ounce of bravado I can muster into my words so he doesn't see how absolutely terrified I am. "So I suggest that if you want to live to fight another day, leave now. Otherwise I'm going to kill you." I give him my best glare and even a snarl looking as intimidating as I can. He just seems to find me amusing.

"Oh Rose, I can see why the powers that be have chosen you to be the One." He says with a laugh. "Take a body trained to kill, add to it a beauty to melt a man's soul and mix in all the piss and vinegar you can and you have one lethal combination that is Rose Hathaway. I couldn't have done better myself." He seems so proud.

"You're right. I am all those things. So why aren't you afraid?" He seems so sure of my abilities but acts as if he has a secret.

"Because I know you're weakness." he says while looking back at Adrian and Dimitri. He does know my weakness. I will do anything to keep those I love safe. I'm about to give in to him in exchange for their release when I hear a faint voice call to me.

"Rose, don't do it. You can't let him change you. We're not worth it. Your life is more important to both of us. You need to fight, Rose. Don't give up." Adrian manages to say. It looks like it took almost all his energy just to get it out. I can see the pain in his eyes as spoke. I hate being the cause of his pain.

"Well, I guess I know what I have to do now, don't I?" I say as I get into a fighting stance. I lunge at Ezekiel with my stake raised, aiming for his chest. He is so fast though that he dodges and returns with a punch to my stomach. That hurt. I right myself up and attack again. I manage to get a punch to his face but it doesn't seem to faze him. I go to punch again but this time he blocks my fist and then backhands me into the wall, hard. Dark spots started dancing across my field of vision. I slid down the wall onto the floor, trying my best not to be overcome by the empending blackness. I didn't work. Slowly the darkness overcame me.

I don't know how long I was out, but when I started to slowly open my eyes, I could feel warm arms holding me tight. I looked up to see Dimitri's face looking down on me. "Roza, you scared me." His voice was shaky and I could see his eyes were wet. Then I could see the blood on his neck. That woke me up real quick. I jumped out of his lap and looked around to see if Ezekiel was still here. He wasn't.

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know but he'll be back. It's getting close to midnight, you're eighteenth birthday. He plans on turning you as soon as he can." He barely got the words out. He was so weak from his injuries. I looked around the room and felt defeat overtake me.

"We are so screwed." I looked over to Adrian who was actually smiling at me.

"Never give up Little Dhampir." Then I had an idea.

**Dimitri POV**

The other guardians and I are outside the house, waiting for the go ahead from the leader to enter. Once we get it, the door is kicked open and we quickly rush in before the Strigoi inside know what hit them. I manage to stake one as soon as he realized we were there. Out of the corner of my eye, I see chaos as other guardians are fighting and taking down the other Strigoi. It's a bloody mess. As I get further in the house, I see one going down a hall, I follow. When I turn to go down the hallway, it's empty. I wasn't that far behind him. Suddenly, I am grabbed from behind and pulled into a closet. I struggle to get free when I am thrown down some stairs. I get back to my feet and get ready to attack. The figure at the top of the stairs flies down in a blur, so fast. He then stops in front of me and I immediately recognize his ugly face, Ezekiel. He has a smirk on his face as he looks at me. "I knew it was you all along. You're the one sent to protect the Chosen One, our Rose." This guy is really Coo-Coo for Co-Co Puffs. How can anyone believe such nonesense, Rose doesn't even believe it. He does have one thing right though, I will always be here to protect Rose. Never again will I leave her. Never.

"That's right. You will never touch her." I really hate this guy. I throw a punch at him and he barely moves. He must be very old to be this strong. I throw another punch but he manages to avoid it while hitting me on my side. That's going to leave a mark. I attack again but this time he grabs something hard and slams it down on my head. Son of a bitch that hurt. I scream in pain. I stumble into the wall but luckliy it keeps me on my feet. I try to muster up all my strength to attack again, but my head is so woozy. He is just standing there watching me for a moment. The next thing I know, Ezekiel is at my neck, biting down. I only let out a groan at the excrutiating pain he is causing me. I am pushing him off with all my might, but it doesn't move him an inch. But before I lose consciousness, he stops and pulls away. I don't know why he didn't kill me then, but I'm not going to ask. I slip down onto the floor. I hear someone talking to me on my left. I look to see Adrian. Rose will be so happy we found him alive, well for now.

"Belikov, stay awake. Don't close your eyes." He sounds weak, like he hasn't fed in days. I look over at him and nod. I don't know why the other guardians aren't storming the basement yet. They must not have seen me disappear. Then a horrible thought occures to me. Rose will be coming soon.

A few minutes later, I hear the faintest of footsteps coming down the steps. I have a bad feeling about this. Ezekiel hears it to. "Rose, you finally made it. Please, come down and join us won't you?" Don't do it Rose. Go back. Run away, I keep saying to myself. But she doesn't. I see her scan the room and finally land on me. I've got to get her out of here.

"Roza, run! Go get the other guardians." I say as loudly as I can. Of course she doesn't listen to me. Instead she screams out for me and tries to run for me but he stops her. He says something to her but I'm not really hearing it all. I do recognize Rose answering him back with her typical sarcasm and menacing tone. She sounds terrifying, but I know my Roza. She's scared, but will never give him the satisfaction of showing it. As he is talking back to her, I catch his discription of her, 'beauty to melt a man's soul'. Well, he got that one right. That is exactly what happened to me the first time I saw her in Portland. And the piss and vinegar part, that's what I love most about her. Life is never boring with her around. I hear him mention her weakness as he looks over to me and Adrian. But when I look at Rose's face when he says this, the look in her eyes scares me more than anything I have ever seen in my twenty- four years on this earth. She's going to sacrifice herself for us. I'm about to tell her no when I hear Adrian next to me.

"Rose, don't do it. You can't let him change you. We're not worth it. Your life is more important to both of us. You need to fight, Rose. Don't give up." Wow. He says exactly what I was thinking. Maybe he does love her after all. Sorry man, if we get out of this alive, I'm not giving anyone a chance at getting my Roza. I'll never be so stupid to push her away again. If she'll still have me. Thankfully, she has decided to fight. I see her attack him and she threw a punch that would have knocked anyone else out, but Ezekiel is too strong. She keeps going though until he hits her hard into the wall, knocking her out.

He stands there looking at all three of us for a moment. "Hmm. I expected a better fight, especially from you." he directs that last part in my direction. "I will let you all say your goodbyes before I come back in a few hours to awaken my hunter. I'll let her decide what to do with you two after that. If you're lucky, she'll change you. If not, well, I'm sure she'll find you delicious." He turns and leaves us alone. All of us are too weak to put up much of a fight. This is not good. I manage to get up and over to Rose. I pull her into my arms and hold her. I try not to think about how this might be the last time I get to do this.

I stay like that for a couple hours, Adrian watching her the whole time. Then I notice her eyes start to flutter open and she wakes up. "Roza, you scared me." I tell her. Then realization hits her as she jumps out of my hold.

"Where did he go?" she asks.

"I don't know but he'll be back. It's getting close to midnight, you're eighteenth birthday. He plans on turning you as soon as he can." I can see all hope she once clung to now fade.

"We are so screwed." I tend to agree. Our circumstances don't look good. But a ray of hope manages to shine through Adrian.

"Never give up Little Dhampir." I see a spark in Rose's eyes when he says that.

**I hope you liked that chapter. It was fun to write. I will continue this scene next chapter, which might not be posted for a couple days. Don't give up on me though. Please review and let me know what you think.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Sorry it has taken so long to update. This chapter is short because I'm just too exhausted from moving. It can be such a pain. It's amazing how much crap you accumulate in ten years. Anyway, hope the wait was worth it.**

**Adrian POV**

"We are so screwed." I hear these words fall from Rose's lips and it just about kills me. I don't want her to give up. She is a fighter and she needs to be reminded of that.

"Never give up, Little Dhampir." I say as I smile at her. Thankfully I see a spark in her eyes. First, she comes over to me and unties my hands. That feels so much better. Then, she starts pacing the floor in silence, obviously trying to think of an escape plan. She does this for about 5 minutes, all the while looking at me, then Dimitri. He is still on the floor, too weak to do much. She walks over to me and kneels down so she can look me in the eyes.

"Adrian, have you been able to start healing yet? If we're going to get out of this, we're going to need Dimitri's help, and right now he's not doing too good." Well, that's an understatement. The truth is that while working with Peter and Lissa, I had managed to heal a dead plant, but healing people was a lot harder. It takes a lot of strength, which I am currently lacking.

"I might be able to do a little, if I was at my best. Right now, I can barely stay awake. Sorry Rose." I hate disappointing her. She has gone above and beyond trying to rescue me. I would do anything for her if I could. She looks at me intently for a second and then nods her head.

"Alright, then we need to tend to you first." Then she does something I would never had expected. She brushes her hair away from her shoulder, exposing her neck. She leans in closer to me. "Adrian, you need to get your strength back. You need to feed." Oh my God! I can not believe she is doing this. I know she has been bitten before, when she and Lissa were on the run, but that was different. Lissa didn't love Rose the same way I do. Feeding on someone you love romantically will intensify those feelings, for both people. I don't think she realizes this.

"Rose, I can't do that. Feeding off you will only make me love you more, and if you have any feelings for me, they will grow stronger also. Your life could get really complicated." She seems to ponder this idea for a moment, looking back at Dimitri then back to me.

"My life is already complicated. But if we don't get out of here alive, then it doesn't really matter, does it?" Well, she had me there. Plus, I am very thirsty and being so close to her is a huge bonus. So I slowly bring my mouth over to her neck, smelling her blood course through her veins. She smells so good. I hesitate a moment to see if she wants to change her mind. "Adrian, just do it already." she says annoyed. I guess I took longer than I thought. I quickly bite into her soft skin, trying to cause her the least amount of pain I can. The explosion of her blood in my mouth is euphoric. I have never in my life tasted anything so sweet. I can feel tons of energy entering my body, giving me more strength any human feeder ever could. My entire body is filled with a feeling of pure joy and love, I never want to stop. I can tell she feels the rush too, from the soft moan I hear coming from her. It takes great effort for me to pull myself away, but I don't want to weaken her too much. When I do manage to free myself from her magnetic pull, she lets out a disappointed wimper.

"Thank you Rose. You have no idea what that meant to me. I feel much better now." I get up and walk over to the guardian sitting on the floor. I'm not a big fan of his since he has caused my Rose so much pain and yet still holds her heart. But we need to get out of here and I will do anything for Rose.

"You don't need to do too much, Adrian. Don't use all your strength because we need you too. Just heal him enough to get up and fight." I hope I'll be able to do anything at all. I put my hands on his head and concentrate on sending Spirit into his body to mend his injuries. I feel great happiness fill me up and I send that feeling into my hands and to his body. It takes me about a minute, but I can see the head injury he sustained is disappearing. I take back my hands and stop before I get too weak. I look at Dimitri and he immediately looks better. He is able to stand up and walk around. Rose runs up and pulls him into a huge hug.

"Hey, how about something for the guy that pulled off this little miracle here? Don't I get anything?" I give her a little crooked smile I know she loves. She looks over at me and smiles brightly. I stand up and she runs to me almost knocking me over, throwing her arms around me.

"Oh Adrian, I knew you could do it." Just when I thought all the miracles were done, she puts her hands on the sides of my face and gently pulls me closer to her sweet lips. She kisses me. Rose is kissing me. Now, I've kissed hundreds of girls in my life, but none can compare to Rose. I can tell from this kiss that Rose does love me. Maybe not as strongly as I do for her, or even as much as she does for that big, stupid Russian brute of hers, but she does love me. Too quickly, she pulls away from me. Now I am the one to wimper in disappointment. She smiles at me. "Thank you, Adrian." I take a peek over at Dimitri, and I can see jealousy and annoyance all over his face, but thankfully, he seems to be keeping his need to hurt me under control. She steps away and starts pacing again, thinking more about her escape plan. It looks like a lightning bolt hits her when she all of a sudden pulls out a stake from her belt. It looks different from any stake I've ever seen. It has something wrapped around one end. To my surprise, she hands it to me. Then I remember the dream from the other day, when she made me learn to use one. I never thought she was serious. "I know you only just learned how to use one of these, but I need you to use it. You're the last person Ezekiel would expect to have and use a stake to kill him, you being a Moroi and all."

"Rose, I'm not sure about this. Practicing for a few hours on dummies is one thing, but this..." I look into her eyes and see the confidence she has for me. I give in. Damn it. Why do I let her do this to me? Oh yeah, because I love her.

**I know it's short. I'll have the rest up shortly. Don't you just love Adrian? Review and let me know what you think and what you want to happen next.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. You guys are the best. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.**

**I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.**

**Rose POV**

Okay, we can do this. I've gotten out of worse jams than this, Spokane, Bloom. The only difference is that Ezekiel scares the crap out of me because he wants to turn me into a Strigoi. I wouldn't be so scared if he just wanted to kill me. The only thing that gives me any hope is that I have Dimitri here with me. I know he will do everything he can to keep me from being turned. Even Adrian, bless his heart, is determined to fight along with us. I don't know what it was, but when Adrian fed from me...WOW! The feelings I got from that were amazing. Any love I felt for Adrian intensified and filled me up to overflowing. Even now, an hour later, I can still feel the emotions swirling around my head. Was what he said true, that if I loved him before the bite, it would grow stronger after? It still doesn't quite compare to how I feel for Dimitri, but it's there. I love Adrian. Well, shit. This is just what I need. Peter is going to have a good laugh at me if we get out of here. I mean, _when_ we get out of here.

I'm sitting in the corner by myself trying to gather my thoughts about everything. When I heard Dimitri screaming earlier, I thought my world was going to end. I can't live without him. I will do whatever it takes to make him see that we belong together, no matter what anyone else thinks. Even Tasha can't keep us apart. And Adrian, I can't live without him either. We are so much alike that he understands me more than anyone. Oh, and I can't forget about Alex. He's helped me so much the last weeks when I thought I might not survive the pain. I wish I could split myself into thirds and be with each one. But of the three, Dimitri is the one my soul calls to.

I look over to where the guys are. They don't really like each other too much so it is surprising to see them whispering together. No one looks angry so I'll just let it be. At least they're getting along. I don't know how long we've been down here but I'm sure it's past midnight now. Happy Birthday to me. What a way to start adulthood. I get up and walk over to my men and smile. They each give me a puzzled look, not knowing why in the world I could be happy in our situation. "Today I am a woman. Do you know what I want for my birthday?"

"Me naked with a big red bow?" Adrian asks with a big grin on his face. I laugh but Dimitri doesn't think it's so funny.

"No. What I want most is..." Just then I hear the door at the top of the stairs open. Both Dimitri and Adrian grab me and pull me behind them. They both have their stakes ready to attack. This must have been what they were talking about, tactics. I don't like being behind so I go and stand between them. Adrian gives Dimitri an 'I told you so' look. He knows me so well. Ezekiel descends the steps with two Strigoi behind him. He must have gathered reinforcments. That's just great.

"I see you have all recovered from your injuries. That is wonderful. I like my victims healthy before I kill them, or awaken them as in your case Rose. It makes it a better challenge that way, more fun. Oh, I almost forgot, Happy Eigteenth Birthday, Rose. I came to give you your gift." He says with a stupid smile on his face.

"Thanks, but I don't want anything from you, except your heart impaled with my stake." I scowl. I really hate this guy.

"Oh Rose. No, my gift to you is eternal life and power beyond your imagination. And I'm feeling very generous tonight. I'll even let you awaken both of your protectors if you like." The thought of Dimitri or Adrian as a Strigoi is sickening to me. I'll never allow it.

"Over my dead body." I say through clenched teeth. Before I even know what happened, Ezekiel is right in front of me, so close if I inhale too deeply, I'll touch him with my chest. He's looking down on me with a smile. He really seems to be enjoying this. I go to take a step back but he grabs my arm and holds me there.

"It's time Rose." is all he says as he lowers his head down to get to my neck. I fight to pull away, taking my stake and try to stab him, but he's too fast and dodges my attempt. Dimitri immediately goes to attack Ezekiel when one of the other Strigoi rams into him, kocking him away. Dimitri comes back with full force and begins fighting with him. I am still struggling with Ezekiel trying to free myself from his grip. I swing to stake him in the chest but quickly change direction and stab the hand that is holding my arm instead. His grip loosens and I pull myself free. I see the third Strigoi looking at Adrian with bloodlust in her eyes. That bitch better stay away if she knows what's good for her. She lunges at Adrian, fangs bared, aiming for his throat. Adrian takes his stake and swipes at her chest, giving her a huge gash across it as she comes crashing down on him. It must of hurt because she gave out a scream. He quickly takes the opportunity to push her off of him and jam his stake into her heart, killing her. One down, two to go. Adrian is looking down at the dead Strigoi with wide eyes. His first kill. Not many Moroi can say that.

From the corner of my eye, I see Dimitri fighting his Strigoi. This one is pretty big, obviously a Dhampir before being turned. But Dimitri is the best guardian out there, so it wasn't surprising that his stake finally found it's home in the creature's heart. Now that only leaves Ezekiel. He doesn't seem very worried though. A split second later, he is lunging at me. Dimitri manages to kick him hard to the side while Adrian tackles me down to the ground, getting me out of his path. Dimitri starts fighting with Ezekiel while Adrian helps me back up. He then starts pushing me toward the stairs to get away. I start to go up the steps when I look back to see Dimitri fighting. I can't leave him. I change direction and go to help him when Adrian blocks my way. "Rose, get your ass out of here now!" I have never heard Adrian yell like that. I can see the fear in his eyes, but I don't think he is scared for himself, only me.

"Get her out of here, Adrian." Dimitri shouts while dodging a punch. There is no way in hell I'm leaving Dimitri here alone. I go to push Adrian out of my way, but he holds on tight to my arm. Ezekiel sees me coming toward the fight. He quickly avoids Dimitri's stake, kicks him hard enough to send Dimitri clear across the room and flies over to me. His sharp teeth are heading their way to my skin when Adrian jumps in between us, intercepting Ezekiel's attack. His fangs sink down into Adrian's neck instead of mine. We both let out a scream. I try to hit him with my stake, but he uses Adrian as a shield while draining him of his blood. I see Adrian getting weaker as I feel more and more helpless. Thankfully, Dimitri came charging over and hit Ezekiel with enough force to tear him away from Adrian. He immediately fell into my arms. He has lost so much blood, he can barely stay awake. I feel the tears streaming down my face as I look into his beautiful green eyes, growing dimmer as the seconds tick away. I try to give him a smile, knowing I'll be the last thing he sees in this life.

"I love you Adrian." I tell him through the tears. Then, I lean down and gently kiss him. As soon as my lips make contact with his, I feel warmth radiate throughout my body, like all the happiness and joy in the world is flowing to me through our kiss. As I pull away, his eyes are closed and his body is limp. I want to cry, but the energy I recieved from Adrian's touch is filling me up with such love, I can't stop smiling. It's the greatest feeling in the world.

Dimitri manages to stake Ezekiel in the knee, bringing him down. But before he can stake him through the heart, Ezekiel looks over to me holding a lifeless Adrian with a goofy look on my face. He starts to get up and walk over to me, when Dimitri beats him to it. He pulls me up and away from Adrian and drags me up the stairs. I don't protest but watch as Ezekiel stands over Adrian's body and smiles up at me, letting us escape. My mind is still in the blissful fog, I don't register what is happening. Lucky for us, we don't encounter any more Strigoi on our way out of the house and to our waiting car. Dimitri throws me into the passenger seat with out even buckling me up. He slams on the gas and we speed down the road, heading for the academy. It's much safer there, right?

It almost feels like I have been torn in two. One half is devastated that I failed my mission to get Adrian back safe and sound. I lost him. My best friend whom I was starting to fall in love with. Now he's gone forever. I want to scream and hit and cry because I'll never get to look into those inticing green eyes again. Never again will I hear his wonderful laugh or sexual innudendos. Never again will he smile that crooked smile I love so much. But no matter how much I am in pain for this loss, the other half feels joyous, happy and loved. I can't explain it. I think I have officially gone over the bend. A padded room for one please. I close my eyes and let the two halves of me battle it out. Happy or sad, who will win?

The exhaustion from today's events takes over me as I begin to fall asleep. I find myself back at the ski lodge where I first met Adrian. My heart begins to ache knowing I'll never be able to share my dreams with him again. I feel the tears welling up in my eyes, when two arms wrap around my waist and squeeze me tight. I let out a gasp. I spin around and my eyes stop to see the most beautiful green eyes on the planet. "Adrian, how are you here? You died. I saw you die in my arms. I'm so sorry I failed you." The tears coming flowing down my cheeks. Adrian raises his hand and wipes the tears from my face and ligtly laughs.

"You didn't fail me, Rose. You saved me." he says with a smile. Okay, I'm very confused. He sees my expression and elaborates. "You saved my soul. With your kiss, I was able to send Spirit into you and with it, my soul. I'm not dead, Rose. I just don't have my own body at the moment. I hope you don't mind if I share yours." What the hell?

**Did you like the chapter? I'm a huge Adrian fan and couldn't bring myself to actually have him die. Review and let me know what you think.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Okay, so we are back to Alex, Rose Ann and Bloom. It is lunch time on the same day that Dimitri, Rose and Adrian fought Ezekiel earlier that morning. Now the two time differences are going to sync up.**

**I don't own Vampire Academy. Richelle Mead does.**

**Rose POV**

"Rose, wake up. We're here." I hear and feel someone trying to wake me up. I slowly open my eyes to see Dimitri leaning over me from the open passenger side door, shaking my shoulders. I look into his eyes and smile. He looks so tired and defeated from fighting this morning. He has a look on his face like he failed me. It breaks my heart seeing him like this. I reach my hands over to cup his face and pull him closer to me. I press my lips to his and kiss him. "What was that for?" he asks.

"For coming with me to find Adrian when it went against your better judgement. For being nice and working with Adrian when I know you don't really like him. For fighting like the god you are and getting me out alive." I smile. He looks at me confused.

"But we didn't get _him _out alive. I would think you'd be more upset." I'm not really sure how to explain this to him when I don't really understand it myself. So I decide to go with a half truth until I can figure this out.

"When I kissed Adrian that final time, I think he sent some Spirit into me so I wouldn't be so sad." This seems to appease him.

"That sounds like something he would do for you." he gives a little smile. He takes my hand and helps me out of the car. We walk toward the school to find Alex, Jacob, Peter and Rose Ann. I'm really excited to meet her. It's lunch time so I figure the best place to look for them is the dining hall. As we are approaching the quad, I see what looks like a guardian attacking a novice for the field experience. I take a closer look, and it looks like the black figure is holding on to _me_. Weird. I look closer at the scene and I see Alex, Jacob and Peter surrounding the fight. Something doesn't add up. Dimitri notices it too because he starts running toward them at the same time I do. I have to push my way past a couple of onlookers to get to Alex.

"Alex, what the hell is going on?" He turns to look at me with surprise. He isn't the only one. The guardian holding on to my double, must be Rose Ann, looks up to me and gasps.

"Rose?" he then looks at the woman he has his hands around. The sudden confusion causes him to loosen his grip around her neck. She immediately elbows him to the ribs, further freeing herself from his hold. She turns around and starts punching him, hard. She looks pissed. Alex starts to walk over to help her but I hold him back.

"She's doing fine. I think she needs to do this herself." She's really good, but I can tell she is getting tired and Bloom is starting to anticipate her moves more easily. I let go of Alex's arm and nod to him. He enters the fight and the two of them bring him down and keep him subdued. Blood is all over his face and clothes. While I was watching Rose Ann beat the crap out of this lunatic, Dimitri called the other guardians and they came and took Bloom into custody, again. I sure hope this guy doesn't get out again. As they are walking him past me to lock him up, Bloom gives me a smile.

"I guess I fell for a bad immitation of the original." He just had to piss me off. I walk up to him with my own little smile. I put my hands on his shoulders and hold them steady.

"Happy Birthday to me." I say as I bring my knee up and forcefully kick him in the groin. He slouches over and groans in pain. I went to knee him again, but Dimitri quickly grabs me from behind and pulls me back.

"One can be overlooked, but two is pushing it." He tells me. l just look over my shoulder at him and shrug. I hear laughing coming from the side. It's Jacob. Of course he would think that was funny, as long as it wasn't happening to him. With his mouth, I'm sure it's happened many times before. My gaze then lands on Peter who is looking at me with a confused expression. I'll have to talk to him later. He might be able to help me figure out what to do with Adrian. My eyes keep going when they land on Alex and Rose Ann. He is fussing over her, making sure she is not hurt. Part of me is a little jealous that he is giving her so much attention. But then I look over at Dimitri and smile. I walk over to them to introduce myself, but before I can open my mouth, Alex has pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Oh my god, Rose. You scared me to death when you ran off like that. Why didn't you tell me what you were up to? I could've helped you." He pulled away from me so he could look at my face.

"I didn't want you to get hurt. Plus I needed you here with Rose Ann." He doesn't look happy with my explanation, but oh well. He starts to look around as if trying to find something.

"Where's Adrian? Were you able to get him out?" I don't know how to explain what happened. Not that he or anyone is going to believe me anyway.

"No. Ezekiel got to him right before we could get out. I'll expalin later." I smile letting him know that I'm not just brushing him off. I turn my attention to Rose Ann. "If you haven't already guessed, I'm Rose, Rose Hathaway." I extend my hand to shake hers. She gives me a smile very similar to the one I see in my mirror.

"Well, I can see where John could get us confused. You look like you could be my little sister. That could be all too possible since I don't know who my dad is." We both look each other up and down.

"All I know about my dad is that he's Turkish." I tell her. Rose Ann's eyes get wide with this information.

"I think the possibility just got stronger. I always wanted a little sister." She walked up to me and gave me a hug. I hug her back.

I'm starving and tired from all the excitement from the last 24 hours. We all walk to the dining hall for lunch and to catch up on what happened. Dimitri had some things to take care of, so he didn't come with us. I make sure I sit next to Peter. I need to talk to him the most. I tell them about finding the house, the task force storming the place and then leaving early like the dumb asses they are, finding the basement with Adrian and Dimitri, Adian healing Dimitri and killing a Strigoi and then Ezekiel killing him. I'm hesitant to tell them about how Adrian's soul was transferred to me, but I do it anyways. They all look at me like I have three heads or something. "Rose, I think you're just in shock from loosing your best friend. That isn't possible." Alex tries to reason.

"I believe you, Rose. The more I learn about Spririt, the more I'm amazed at what it can do." I knew Peter would be the one to back me up. I look over to Rose Ann, and she looks at me the same way Alex is, like she feels sorry for me. Alex, who is sitting on my other side, holds my hand and looks at me as if I'm going to burst out into tears any minute. This is lack of trust is really pissing me off.

"I'm not crazy!" I shout. They all look at me wide eyed. Well, except Jacob. He just starts to laugh.

"He's in your body right now?" Jacob asks. Then he leans over the table and starts to shout in my ear. "Yo Adrian." Trying to give hes best Sylvester Stallone impression. "What's it like being a man in a woman's body?" He is such an ass. I smack him hard in the middle of his forehead, leaving a nice big red mark. Just then, Dimitri walks over to us and I see Jacob suddenly tense.

"Rose, I need to talk to you." He pulls up a chair and sits down and looks over to me with sad eyes. "I just spoke with the alchemists that were sent to clean up the Strigoi bodies. They informed me that Adrian's body wasn't there." He pauses, letting the news sink in.

"Ezekiel turned him. He's Stigoi now." I say very matter of factly. Then an idea pops in my head and I get excited. "That means we could possibly get him back to his own body! We just have to find him and figure out a way to heal him." I turn to look at Peter who also looks pleased with this plan. Jacob laughs harder, Dimitri looks totally lost and Alex and Rose Ann still look at me like I've lost all sanity. I don't really care what anyone else thinks. I know what I have to do.

I see Dimitri looking at me with a worried look on his face. He must think I'm cracking up too. I have to get him to believe me. His opinion matters to me most. I need to talk to him and Peter so I ask Alex if we can switch Moroi for the rest of the day, and he agrees. I lead them back to my room so we can talk without interuption.

"Dimitri, I need to tell you about what's happened to Adrian, well his soul actually. When he sent Spririt into me, his soul came along too." He looks skeptical. "Right now I can only talk to him in my dreams, like when he would sleep walk with me. He told me his soul is surviving in my body right now. But if he is Strigoi, that means his body isn't dead and maybe we can figure out a way to get his soul back into it." He doesn't say anything for a few minutes, just seems to be thinking everything I just told him over in his head.

"Rose, how do you know it wasn't only a dream. You cared for him very much. Maybe your mind is just trying to keep his memory alive for you. I believe that you believe what you're saying, but I think there may be another explanation." Why does he have to be so rational all the time. Well, I guess he does kinda balance me out. Peter seems to think up a solution.

"Rose, I know you're tired so why don't you take a nap, contact Adrian and have him tell you something that only he and Dimitri would know." He turns to talk to Dimitri. "If she can do that, will you believe her?" Dimitri ponders this for a second and nods. I get comfortable on my bed. It's a little hard to fall asleep with people looking at you, but I'm so tired, it doesn't take too long.

I find myself lying on the beach in my maroon bikini, the sun warming my face and body. It feels so relaxing. I let out a contented sigh as I wait for Adrian to make his appearance. I know he is standing right by my head when his shadow crosses my face. "Little Dhampir, I'm so happy to see you." He comes over and lays down on the sand next to me, grabbing my hand and holding it tight. I look over at him and smile. He is only wearing board shorts and no shirt, showing off his amazing chest and abs. I have to admit, he does look yummy.

"How are you doing Adrian?"

"Better, now that you're here. This whole situation is very disconcerting. I can see, hear, feel, smell and taste everything you do, but I have no control over your actions. I feel so helpless. Please keep this in mind when you are with your Russian boyfriend. Making out with Belikov is something I never want to experience. Please don't make me go there." he pleads. I laugh at him. I think I can have a lot of fun with this.

"You shouldn't have told me that." I tease. "I'm starting to feel a little anxious. Maybe I should wake up and find Dimitri to scratch my itch." I say as I waggle my eyebrows up and down. His eyes go wide and he jumps on me and starts to tickle my stomach as I immediately react with screams of laughter. He then leans in close to me.

"You don't need Belikov if you're feeling frisky, Little Dhampir. I can help you with that right now. And no one would be the wiser." he whispers in my ear. I feel a tingle radiate from my ear to the rest of my body and my face begin to flush, but I need to maintain control, so I roll my eyes at him and reluctantly push him off me. The idea does sound tempting, but I'm here for a reason. I need to focus so I sit up and turn to face him.

"Okay, Adrian, enough fun. I have some news I need to share with you. As it turns out, you aren't totally dead. Ezekeil turned you into a Strigoi." I pause to see his reaction. Yeah, he's not too happy, at first. I think he's starting to get the same idea I had when I see a smile cross his face. But then suddenly he looks at me and starts to scowl. Don't know what that's about.

"I hate the fact that my body is out there killing people, but I don't want you to do anything about it. I'm sure one day a guardian will take me down. I know you Rose, so just forget about it. I don't want you anywhere near my Strigoi counterpart. It's too dangerous." Does he think his little speech is going to stop me? He obviously doesn't know me as well as he thought.

"Adrian, be realistic. If we can capture 'Strigoi Adrian', then maybe we can send your soul back and you will be you again, my Royal Moroi pain in my ass." I say teasingly, trying to lighten his mood. "I've been training pretty much my entire life to fight and kill Strigoi. I think I can handle it. Besides, I'll have back up." I take his hand and give him my best smile. "I'm your bad ass Little Dhampir, remember?" I think I'm starting to crack him because I can see the corner of his mouth start to turn up into a smile.

"I just don't want you getting hurt because of me. For us to send Spirit and my soul back into my body, you would have to be touching him for a few minutes, at least. That will be very dangerous. I know you're a bad ass Rose, but even the best can fall. Anyway, do you really think Belikov will let you hunt down one Strigoi just to put me back together again?" He says with one eyebrow raised. Man, I wish I could do that.

"He will when I tell him that you can see and feel everything I do." A thought just dawns on me. "God, I just realized something. I'm going to have to shower and change in the dark so you can't sneak a peek at my naked body." This isn't good. Adrian is looking at me with mock outrage.

"Rose, do you really think I would violate your privacy like that? I'm shocked." Oh please.

"I do actually."

"You're probably right." He says with a smile. "But can you blame me. Look at you. Who wouldn't want to get an eyefull?" I just shake my head getting a little embarrassed. Then I remember why I came here in the first place. Convincing Dimitri I'm not crazy.

"Oh, I need some information from you. Dimitri doesn't believe that you are actually in my body, so I need to tell him something that only you and he know. What do you got?" He thinks about this for a few moments when an evil smile crosses his lips.

"Well, one morning I was looking for you and I went to the gym because you were supposed to be at your training with Dimitri. When I walked in I found him singing out loud to 'I'm too Sexy' by Right Said Fred shaking his hips to the music while getting the practice dummies out. I couldn't help but fall on the floor in a fit of laughter. When he turned around and saw it was me, he was so pissed I thought he was going to bust a blood vessel, he was turning so red. I immedeately ran out, fearing for my life shouting 'Do a little turn on the catwalk'." Adrian was laughing so hard remembering that incident he had tears running down his face and could barely talk. I started laughing too thinking about it. This was going to be fun. The dream started fading as I realized I was being woken up. As I opened my eyes, I could see Dimitri looking down at me. I couldn't help myself, I started singing.

"I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts." I couldn't help but smile. Dimitri closed his eyes tight and his brows furrowed as he murmurred.

"He's lucky he is not in his body right now because I would seriously like to kick his ass until his nose bleeds."

**I hope you liked that chapter. I'm trying to decide if I want to to do a spin off of this story as they search for Strigoi Adrian or not. What do you think? Review and let me know.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Thanks for al the wonderful reviews. You are all awesome.**

**Again, I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.**

**Peter POV**

Man, The morning has been really weird. The fact that Rose went off by herself didn't surprise me, neither did the fact that Guardian Belikov went with her. I can sense how much he loves her and wants to keep her safe. But poor Alex, when he found out she was gone, and with Belikov? The jealousy meter went through the roof. Add to that the worry and fear he had for Rose's safety, the guy was a mess. You couldn't tell by looking at him though, his face was totally blank. Must be a guardian thing. Do they have a special class to teach them how to do that? Every guardian I see always has the same emotionless face. Huh.

That all changed, though, when we went to pick up Rose Ann from the airport. I couldn't believe how much she looked like Rose. They have to be sisters or something. It's too much of a coincidence for them not to be. I think Alex is smitten with Rose Ann because any hint of jealousy he held toward Belikov disappeared. For the rest of the morning, he was feeling very happy, and guilty. I can tell he is starting to crush on the new Rose, and vise versa. Jacob only feels the usual toward her as he does all the other females at this school. He's such a horndog. When he does actually fall in love, he's not going to know what hit him.

When Rose finally showed up at lunch with Dimitri, it was very odd. The usual volume of her emotions were suddenly doubled. I couldn't explain it. It all made sense though when Rose told us about Adrian and how his soul is residing in her body. That is way cool. I don't know why everyone else is doubting her. She isn't one to make things up or lie. I go with her to tell Dimitri the situation. He's skeptic, but I can tell he keeping an open mind. I suggest Rose ask Adrian for information she wouldn't know but Adrian and Dimitri would. While she was sleeping though, I got a wave of lust and love hitting me. It seems the feelings she has toward Adrian have intensified. I wonder what happened out there. I have to remember to ask her later, when Dimitri isn't around. Then, I feel so much amusement coming from her, I start to laugh out loud myself. Dimitri looks over to me waiting for an explanation, but since I don't have one, I just shrug. When Dimitri wakes her, she starts singing this weird song and suddenly Dimitri looks very annoyed. He looks really dangerous when he's annoyed. Note to self, don't annoy the Russian. Rose must be immune to his angry face because she just starts laughing so hard she falls out of the bed. Dimitri helps her up and whispers something in her ear. She just nods to him and calms down. Whatever. Then she tells us what she has learned from talking to Adrian.

"Well, it seems that he is linked to all my senses, like he is me but has no control over what I do." she tells us. That would be really odd. I'm glad I'm not in his position. Just then Dimitri gets this gleam in his eye and a big smile on his face.

"Hey Rose, we didn't get in any training today. You want to go spar?" Oh, he is evil. Now I really feel bad for Adrian. She laughs and shakes her head.

"I have a better idea." she says as she walks over to him and puts her hands on either side of his face and pulls him down to her. She starts to kiss him. At first he doesn't seem to respond, then he chuckles against her lips and deepens the kiss. I really shouldn't be watching this so I turn away. Oh Adrian, I'm so sorry.

**Adrian POV**

I am going to kill Rose. I can't believe she is kissing Dimitri, _we_ are kissing Dimitri. Oh God, she is _so_ going to pay. Oh no. Oh no, is that his tongue that just went into her mouth? I think I might throw up a little. Hey pal, where do you think your hands are going? You better not, you better...Oh hell, he's touching her ass. Get your hand off her ass. Rose, enough already! Come up for air, I beg of you! I think they are both enjoying this way too much by the moans I'm hearing. It'll be alright, Adrian. Just cover your ears. La la la la la. La la la la la. Ugh, it's no use. They can't do too much with Peter still in the room. What was that noise? I think I hear the door opening. Wait Peter, don't leave me here alone with these two. For the love of God man, I thought we were friends. Awe shit, now where are his hands going? Under her shirt?! Oh God, I'm so sorry for all the sins I have committed in this life and any other I had or will have, but please get them to stop. Now he's kissing down her neck. Now she is kissing his neck and inhaling his scent. He does smell really nice though. I wonder what he uses. What the hell am I saying?! Finally my prayers have been answered. They are breaking apart. Oh thank goodness. Wait. Wait. Where do you think you're going? Not over to the bed! Rose, if you love me at all, you won't do this too me. This is cruel and unusual punishment. He does have nice eyes though. Get a grip Adrian! Now they're laughing and Dimitri is leaning closer to her to whisper in her ear.

"Adrian, I hope you enjoyed that. I know I did." Oh hahaha, you freaking dousche bag. Finally he gets off her and helps her off the bed. They both look around the room.

"Wasn't Peter in here with us?" Rose asks. Gee Rose, I don't think he wanted to stick around for the free porn show. Go figure.

"I guess he left. We should be going too. You still have to guard Peter. Maybe we'll be lucky and you'll get attacked by a guardian for field experience. I'm sure Adrian will love that." Seriously, what did I ever do to him to make him hate me so? Just because we're both in love with the same woman? How petty can you get? I'll show him. I get her all to myself at night when she dreams. I can't wait for bedtime.

**Rose POV**

Oh my god, Adrian is going to kill me, but it was worth it. Kissing Dimitri is always worth it. We walk outside and find Peter leaning on the wall across from the door. He looks up at me and starts to laugh. "Was that really necessary you guys? No one deserves that." I just shrug and keep walking knowing both of them will follow.

"I'll deal with Adrian later." Really, what can he do to me? "Hey Peter, do you have any thoughts as to how we could get Adrian back to his body?" I know he's just started to learn about Spirit, but he might have some ideas.

"I don't really know. It seemed pretty straight forward getting his soul into you. He just sent his magic to you. Maybe all you have to do is send the magic back." yeah, that's what Adrian said. I think I need to call Lissa and see if she might be able to help. I get my cell phone out and dial her number.

"Rose. Oh thnks god you're alive. Don't you ever do that to me again! Do you know how worried I was?" Of course I did but I had blocked out most of her emotions so I could focus on getting Adrian out of harms way.

"Sorry Liss. I need your help."

"Did you get Adrian out of there? Is he okay? Do you need me to come heal him again?" If she would shut up maybe I could answer one of her questions.

"Not exactly. He got bitten by Ezekiel and I thought he was going to die in my arms. I kissed him and when I did he sent Spirit into me and with it his soul." I stop to hear her reaction. There was silence on the line. Finally she responded.

"Wow. That must be really weird."

"Not for me, but for Adrian..." I start to giggle thinking about what Dimitri and I just did to him.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. I'll tell you later."

"Well, what can I do to help? That's why you called right?"

"As it so happens, Ezekiel didn't kill Adrian, but turned him into a Strigoi. I think there might be a way to put his soul back into his body, but I don't really know how. Any ideas?" Lissa has always been the smart one of our twosome. I know she can come up with something.

"Just send the magic back, I guess. Since Adrian wan't the best at healing, maybe I could come and help." I don't like that idea of Lissa being so close to a Strigoi, but it might be neccessary and we could only get one shot at this.

"Okay Lissa. Can you fly out here today? It's still my birthday for another fifteen hours or so. They might still come to turn me. Just be careful."

"Sure Rose. No problem. Someone is using the jet to come over to California anyway. I'll just get myself on that plane and come see you. Happy Birthday by the way." She's the best.

"Thanks Liss. Call me when you land and I'll come get you." I hang up from talking to Lissa and I walk Peter to his afternoon classes. The time went by pretty slowly. No attacks happened, which I was grateful for because honestly, I was so exhausted for being up so long. We went to dinner with the gang and Dimitri came in.

"Rose, can I talk to you for a moment?" I nodded and followed him outside. He looked a little nervous. If he tells me that we can't be together again, I swear to god I was going to kill him. After everything we went through today, he better not push me away. I just stood there looking at him waiting for him to speak. "Can you come to the gym in the morning for training? I got you something for your birthday and I would like to give it to you then." Well, I wasn't expecting that. I was a little stunned because I just stared at him for a few minutes. He got me a birthday present.

"Oh , sure. No problem. Why can't I have it now?" I smiled. It was going to bug me all night wondering what it was.

"Be patient Rose. You will get your gift soon enough." He smiled and then leaned down and brought his lips down to meet mine oh so gently. He stood back up and his smile got wider. Must be some gift. Damn, the suspense is going to kill me. At least it doesn't seem like he's breaking up with me, again.

"Rose, be carefull. It's still your birthday and I wouldn't put it past Ezekiel to still try to get you. Oh and make sure you get plenty of rest. I want to see you fresh and awake tomorrow morning." he winked. Why is he torturing me. Or is he also torturing Adrian? Hmmm? I tell him Lissa is on her way to visit and he tells me that he will take care of everything so I can sleep. Even though I was really tired, I was also nervous about seeing Adrian after the stunt we pulled. Since I was pulled from night guarding because of Jacob's roaming hands, I went back to my room right after dinner to go to bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out. Suddenly I was back at St Vlads academy, on a bench under one of the trees by the little lake at the back of the campus. It looked like springtime because all the flowers where in bloom. It was beautiful. I looked around but couldn't see Adrian anywhere. I was getting a little scared, not knowing what he would do to me. Then I heard a voice from behind me.

"Hello Little Dhampir. Ready for a little payback?"

**Review and let me know if you liked it.**


	33. Chapter 33

**I'm so glad so many of you liked the last couple chapters. I enjoyed writing them very much. Thanks for the wonderful reviews. They make my day and keep me writing.**

**I'm not Richelle Mead. She owns Vampire Academy, not me.**

**Rose Ann POV**

What in the world did I get myself into coming here? These people are crazy. First there's Peter who is always looking over his shoulder as if he is expecting something or someone to be there. He also blushes for no reason at all or will start laughing right out of the blue. Alex says it's because he is a Spirit user and he can feel other people's emotions. It makes him a little nuts. I'll say. He's nice though, a perfect gentleman, unlike Jacob. He has a smart ass comment for everything. At least he hasn't hit on me like most Moroi men do. I get the impression that he recently got into some trouble with Rose and has since changed his attitude a little. I hope it keeps. Then there is Alex. I like him. He seems like the voice of reason to this motley crew. He's very level headed like me, and has a rockin bod too. I'm not sure what's going on between him and Rose though. I think they are going out, but the way she was looking at Guardian Belikov, I wonder. According to Jacob this morning, Belikov, or the Russian cradle robber as he put it, came here to be close to Rose. Apparently he can't make up his mind and keeps pushing her away and pulling her back in. I understand his dilema, but come on man, make a decision already and stick to it. I'm going to have to have a little heart to heart with my new little sister.

I like the idea of having a little sister. I never knew my dad except that he was Turkish, and my mom was turned to a Strigoi when I was young. She was a guardian, of course. The only family I had were my my friends at school. Daniel is my best friend as well as my charge. There was never anything romantic between us. I love him like a brother. When Jacob called and asked me to come help them get John, I was a little hesitant about leaving Daniel. But he insisted I go. He never liked him and always warned me about him when we went out. I should have listened. I feel horrible about what he did to Rose because of me. I need to make it up to her somehow. At least now he is locked up, hopefully for good.

I really like Rose. She isn't the type of girl to take anyones crap. I like that. She can take care of herself, if any of these guys that seem to orbit her will let her. From what I hear, she also has a temper. It must come from our father's side because I used to have a reputation for flying off the handle too. But appently not to her level. Peter mentioned something about her being shadow kissed and that she pulls darkness for her friend Lisa or Lysa, I don't know. It has something to do with Spirit. This new magic seems to cause a lot of trouble my new sis. The latest being having some drunk party boy in her body. Yeah, I've heard tales of Adrian Ivashkov, none very endearing. Poor Rose. Apparently he is also in love with her. Man, she must collect hearts like othe people collect dust. You get it whether you want it or not.

Since Rose came back, she took over her duty of watching Jacob. Well, actually she switched with Alex and is guarding Peter at the moment. I dont' blame her, though. Jacob can be very obnoxious. So, I go to the see Guardian Sidorov to see if I can help around campus. Since they are beefing up security around the perimeter in case that Strigoi Ezekiel tries to come to get Rose, he is short on guardians to help in the field experience. I quickly volunteer. I've always wanted to be the attacker in the field experience. I go to my room and put the black clothes on I need to become a 'Strigoi'. I know exactly who I want to go after first. This is going to be fun.

I go and hide behind a bush around the corner from the classroom they are in. It's almost time to go to the next class and I know they'll go this way. As soon as I see them pass by, I jump out and grab Jacob by the shoulders, pulling him to me. Alex is quick to respond and he grabs Jacob out of my hold and pushes him away, out of my reach. We then start to circle each other. I lunge at him and he dodges. He's quick. I kick to his chest and it sends him back a little. Come on Alex, don't let me beat you. As I watch him, I notice myself looking at his beautiful blue eyes. They seem to sparkle. And his body? Yum! I get a little distracted and he lands a good punch to my side. Um, owe. Focus Rose Ann. You can't let this totally gorgeous, not even sure if he's legal yet, guy take you down. I put my game face back on and focus. I get in a couple good punches when I notice that he's starting to sweat. He looks even better when he sweats. I manage to get myself behind him and try to go in for the kill by bringing my mouth down to his neck to 'bite' him, when I get a whiff of his scent. My knees go weak a little and I get a little dizzy. My hormones must be in high gear because this guy is driving me insane. Unfortunately, my little distraction gave him the opportunity to knock me backward on my butt. He quickly pins me down and stakes me. We are both breathing pretty heavy as we just stay there and stare at each other. My whole body seems to quiver at his gaze. I wonder if he feels the same way because he isn't moving off me. My heart is going a mile a minute and I know it has nothing to do with the fight, per say. I let my eyes wonder down to his lips as I imagine what they would feel like against mine. I see him start to smile as his lets his eyes wonder over my body. I am becoming increasingly aware that we are not alone out here. Come on girl, I know it's been a while but you can't do anything with him here, in front of everyone. I need to get him off of me, even though I don't really want him to. I clear my throat to get his attention. That seems to bring him back to reality as he looks around to all the onlookers. I can see the blood rushing to his face as he stands up. He offers me a hand and helps me up too. Okay, now I have to say something very guardian-like. "Good job Alex. You nailed me pretty good." Oh god, did I just say that? From the amused expression on his face, I did. Maybe I can recover. "I mean, staked me. You know... with the practice stake...over my heart...You did that very efficiently." I sound like an idiot. I wonder how red my face is right now. I hear Jacob standing off to the side laughing like a hyena. I am so embarrassed. I think I'll just walk away now and try to save some of my dignity. But before I could take a step, Alex grabs my hand to stop me.

"Hey Rose Ann, That was the best fight I've ever been in." He smiles at me. He has a really great smile. "You are going to meet us in the dining hall for dinner, right?" Well, of course. How can I resist that face.

"Sure. Who else am I going to eat with?" I'm going for nonchalant. I hope it's working, because I feel like such a school girl with a crush when I'm around him.

At dinner, I sit down with my food and wait for the others to join me. When they finally arrive, Alex sits down next to me, and scoots over real close so our legs are pressed right next to each other. Every time he talks to me, he leans in real close to me, it gives me shivers. I also notice that he takes many opportunities to put his arm around me or touch me. Yeah, I think he's crushing on me too. Now I feel guilty for liking my sisters boyfriend. So I look over to Rose, who is across from me, to see if I am crossing the line, letting him get too close. But she doesn't seem to mind. I see her looking at Alex and she smiles. Then she looks over at me and winks. Apparently she is releasing her claim on him. A few minutes later, Guardian Belikov walks over and asks Rose to talk with him outside. The way her whole face lit up when she looked at him, I knew anything between her and Alex was over. Thank goodness because I don't think I could keep away from him much longer.

**Alex POV**

I did it. I beat her. I staked Rose Ann. Now she knows first hand how good I am. I don't know why I have this need to impress her, but I try to every chance I get. I just noticed that I am still pinning her down. I need to get off her before she thinks I'm some sort of a creep, like Jacob, but my body won't move. I can't take look away from her beautiful brown eyes. She doesn't seem to mind though by the way she is looking at me. I guess she likes what she sees. Wait, is she looking at my mouth now? Maybe I should kiss her. Does she want me to? She has an amazing body, too. I can't help but smile looking at her. I could look at her all day. She clears her throat and I suddenly snap out of my trance and look to see all sorts of eyes on me. How embarrassing. Okay, Alex just get up like nothing happened. I reach down to assist her, because, I am a gentleman.

"Good job Alex. You nailed me pretty good." Did she just say what I thought she said? That's so funny. "I mean, staked me. You know... with the practice stake...over my heart...You did that very efficiently." Man, look at her blush. I feel bad for her. I didn't know I had that effect on women. I wish Jacob would shut his pie hole before she leaves humiliated. Oh no, she starting to leave. I don't want her to go yet. I reach out and grab her hand.

"Hey Rose Ann, That was the best fight I've ever been in." I give her my best smile. "You are going to meet us in the dining hall for dinner, right?" Please say yes.

"Sure. Who else am I going to eat with?" Oh good.

The next few classes go by so slowly. I try to focus on my surroundings like I should, but I keep thinking about Rose Ann and that fight. Or rather right after the fight. I also think about Rose and how I feel about her. I love her, but, I don't know. Ever since she came back today, she seems distant from me and closer to Belikov. I don't know what they went through out there, but it seems to have brought them closer together. I was afraid that would happen when I found out they left together. But for some reason, ever since Rose Ann showed up, it doesn't bother me so much. Does that make me a bad person? I need to talk to her.

Finally, it's time for dinner. I see that Rose Ann is already seated at our table. I quickly get my food so I can claim the seat next to her. I get as close as I can to see how she reacts. She doesn't move away, so that's a good sign, right? She smells so good I can't help leaning in close to her whenever I get the chance. Belikov comes in and takes Rose away. The way she looked at him, I know she's under his spell again. If he hurts her again, I will kill him.

After Rose leaves, Peter tells us about what they did to Adrian. I really didn't want to hear about her making out with Belikov, but it is funny if it's all true. I still have my doubts. I guess she is moving on. I see Rose Ann stifle a yawn out of the corner of my eye.

"You must be tired from flight and the eventful day you had. I'll walk you to your room." She gives me a smile and nods. I want to be alone with her so we walk Peter back to his room first. I know she is a guardian and is more than capable of taking care of herself, but I'm not ready to leave her yet. We chit chat about trivial stuff on the way to her room. When we get to the door, I'm disappointed it didn't take longer to get there. "Well, I guess this is it. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course. Who will I have breakfast with?" She smiles that gorgeous smile at me and takes a step closer to me, only leaving maybe an inch between us. She looks into my eyes and puts her hands behind my neck and pull me down. She brushes her lips against mine. Wow. I feel heat radiate throught my body at her touch. I don't want her to stop, so I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her tight against my body, deepening the kiss. She responds vigorously. Our lips move together in perfect synch. After a while, she is the one to pull away. My heart is beating out of my chest and I struggle to catch my breath as she looks into my eyes. That was the best kiss ever. I want very badly to continue this, but I need to talk to Rose first. I give her one last kiss before I must leave.

"Good night Rose Ann. Sweet dreams."

"Good night Alex." Morning can't come soon enough.

**I know you all wanted to find out what Adrian has in store for Rose and what Dimitri is giving her for her birthday. next chapter, I promise. But tell me what you think about Alex and Rose Ann. Good match? Review and let me know.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Okay, back to Rose, Adrian and Dimitri. Hope you like it. And thanks again for all the wonderful reviews.**

**I don't own Vampire Academy or its characters, I just love them.**

**Rose POV**

"Hello Littte Dhampir. Ready for a little payback?" My heart drops into my stomach as I anticipate whatever torture he has in mind for the little stunt Dimitri and I played on him earlier. But he loves me, right? He won't do anything too bad, I hope. Maybe I just need to use my Rose Compulsion on him and he'll forget all about any revenge plots. I turn around to face him and give him my best man eating smile.

"Adrian, how is my favorite Moroi doing? I've missed you so much." I don't think it's working. He just stares at me with an amused look on his face.

"I'm doing better now that the temporary blindness you and Belikov caused me has gone away. Thanks for that by the way." I can tell by his tone he is still a little pissed off. I walk over to him, still smiling, and look into his eyes.

"I'm sorry Adrian. It was just too good a joke to pass up. You would have done the same in my position." I see a little smile play upon his lips as he thinks about it.

"You're right, but now it's my turn." He has an evil glint in his eyes and I immediately get nervous. "Don't worry Little Dhampir. It's nothing you can't handle. I figure an eye for an eye." With that he puts his hands on my hips and pulls me closer to him. He leans down so close his lips are almost upon mine. My heartrate starts to increase and I stop breathing as I wait for contact. I see him smile as he notices my reaction to what he's doing. He brings his lips down and barely brushes them against mine. I can feel a tingling sensation course through my body. Wow, I never expected this reaction to Adrian. He starts to pull back, but I reach my arms up around his neck so he can't get far. "I've been waiting a long time for the day when you didn't push me away." He brings his lips down on mine and kisses me with such hunger and intensity that my knees go weak. I gladly respond back with a need to be closer to him. I don't know what is coming over me, but it's like I can't get enough of him. Our tongues move together in their own private dance while my hands are running through his hair and his are caressing my backside. I never knew being with Adrian could feel so good. It almost feels as good as Dimitri... Dimitri. I pull away from his lips and look into his eyes, trying to catch my breath.

"Adrian...I can't...Dimitri." Is all I can say between ragged breaths. His eyes are filled with lust and hungry and he looks down on me.

"He left you remember, to be with Tasha. He may be an idiot for pushing you away, but I'm not." He brings his mouth back to mine and continues kissing me with such intensity I almost forget my own name. He starts moving his kisses down to my neck and shoulders. Each kiss he places on my skin burns with pleasure. My head feels like it is in a fog of ecstasy as he continues to touch and kiss my body. But luckily there is a little voice in the back of my head, crying out for reason. I push Adrian away again.

"Adrian, we can't do this. I love Dimitri, and I think he wants me back." I need to stay strong or else I'll get swept in Adrian's embrace, and I won't have the power to resist him again.

"Did he tell you this? Did he say he wants to start a life with you?"

"Well, no, but after everything that's happened, I'm sure he does." Adrian doesn't say anything at first, thinking over what I said. He then pulls me into a hug and lets out an exasperated breath.

"I'll tell you what. You talk to him when you wake up and find out what he wants. It's not fair to you to string you along like this. If he wants you, I'll back off. If he still is stupid enough to not want you, then you give yourself to me. Even if I can only have you in dreams, for now. I love you Rose. That will never change." He's right. I need to find out once and for all what Dimitri wants.

"Deal." As I pull away from our embrace, I notice yellow feathers all around me. I look down to see what it is and I realize that I'm wearing a giant chicken costume. "What the hell is this?" I say as I wave my wings in front of his face. He just starts laughing. I look around me and I notice that we are no longer by the lake, but on a stage with a bright spotlight on me. I look over to the audience seats to see if people are watching, but I can only see the first few rows. Thankfully those rows are empty. "Is this the best you could do? Put me in a chicken outfit? And why the stage?" He manages to stop laughing long enough to answer.

"I don't know, the thought of my bad ass Little Dhampir wearing a chicken suit and dancing for me to the Chicken Dance seemed very amusing." Then I hear a noise coming from the side stage. I look over and see a huge yellow chicken coming toward us. As it gets into the light, I notice that it's Dimitri in the same suit I have on. I can't help but laugh myself. He looks pissed.

"Why am I here,and in this?" he motions to the chicken outfit. He looks so ridiculous in that get up. Adrian and I start laughing so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants. Dimitri looks over to me with a very annoyed look on his face. "May I remind you that you are wearing the same thing."

"I know, but it's just us here, and after what we did to Adrian earlier, I think we can handle it. Now come over here and dance with me, Comrade. Or should I say Colonel Sanders." He just shakes his head as he walks over to me.

"If anybody finds out about this, there will be hell to pay." he says looking right at Adrian.

"This is just a dream, remember. Besides, who am I gonna tell. No one would believe me anyhow." Adrian walks over to a little boom box and pushes a button. He jumps off the stage and takes a seat in the front row, dead center with a stupid grin on his face. The music starts and we start to do the chicken dance. Of course Dimitri doesn't know it so he tries to follow me. I've always loved doing this dance whenever Lissa and I went to weddings or parties, so I really get into it. When the song ends, we take a bow and then walk to the front of the stage in front of Adrian and sit down.

"Are we even now?" I ask Adrian.

"Yes, we are. And you will be pleased to know that I have been practicing ever since the 'incident' and have learned how to put up walls so I can block out what you are doing. It's like I can go into a little room and shut everything else out. Just warn me before you do anything, unsavory, so I can defend myself." That cool. I wonder what else he can learn to do.

"Hey, that sounds fair. Can you get us out of these costumes now? They're starting to itch." I ask as I try to scratch my back.

"Sure. I'll even send Dimitri back to his own dream. But remember this next time you want to play a joke on me." Dimitri fades away and I look down to see that I am back in regular clothes, jeans and a t-shirt.

"That was kinda fun. Why don't you get up here and dance with me until it's time for me to wake up." I smile at him and he walks back up on stage. He hits a button on the radio and we start club dancing, just the two of us. Of course, he manages to get a disco ball going and other techno lights working. He really is a great friend, and a great kisser. We have a geat time together until the dream starts to fade as I begin waking up.

After I wake up, I take a shower and get dressed for training with Dimitri. I can't wait to see what he bought me for my birthday. He wouldn't get me a gift if he didn't want to be with me, right? As I approach the gym, I see Jacob walking toward me. He usually isn't up this early. "Hey Jacob, what are you doing out of bed at this hour? I wasn't there to harrass so you thought you'd come find me?" He gave me his signiture smirk.

"Actually, I had the weirdest dream last night, about you and Belikov." He starts laughing thinking about it. I'm getting a really uncomfortable feeling about his dream.

"Well, I always knew you dreamed about me, but Dimitri too? I didn't know you played for both teams." I tease. He didn't like that. Good. He deserves a little bit of his own medicine.

"Ha ha. You know I'm all about the ladies. No, this dream was really odd. You and Belikov were on a stage in chicken costumes doing the Chicken Dance. It was freakin' hilarious! I was laughing so hard and trying to yell to you, but it was like there was an invisible barrier. None of us could get you to hear us." He starts laughing again and moving his elbows up and down like a bird. I could feel all the blood drain away from my face as I stood there dumbfounded. Oh. My. God. Adrian had pulled him into the dream so he could see us. Wait. Did he say 'us'?

"Jacob, who else was in the dream with you?" Hopefully it was just the four of us.

"Well, you and Belikov, Adrian in the front row, then Alex, Rose Ann, Peter, your friend Lissa and some guy with dark hair and blue eyes I've never seen before. We were all laughing so hard, we could hardly breath. Belikov cracked me up." He's laughing so hard he has tears streaming down his face. Well at least he thinks it was just a dream.

"You know Jacob, if I were you I would keep this dream to myself. You know what they say about dreaming about dancing chickens, don't you?" Maybe I can scare him silent. If Adrian brought the others into the dream, I can't let then know it really happened.

"No, what do they say?" Good, he looks worried.

"That you're secretly in love with your best friend. Isn't Alex your best friend?" That should keep him quiet. He looks at me suspiciously. I can see the wheels turning in his mind. Not good.

"That's bull, Rose. But if you don't want me to say anything about you dressed as a chicken, it'll cost you. One kiss." That jackass thinks he can blackmail me? I don't think so.

"I have a better idea. You keep quiet and I'll let you live." I give him a fierce glare.

"Alright Rose. What ever you say." He backs away, still laughing, back to the dorms. "I'll see you at breakfast, Oh Guardian, my Guardian." This is not good. If Dimitri finds out others saw us, he will freak. I just won't let him find out. That should be no problem. I can get to the others first and ask them to keep it quiet. Okay, I feel a little better now.

I walk into the gym and see Dimitri setting up the dummies for practice. I remember the other day when he told me to work on my ninja skills and 'stake' him before he even realizes I'm there. I stealthfully creep my way over to him. He is only a couple feet away from me, so I lunge at him to jump on his back, when he turns around and blocks my attack. He pins my down to the floor and looks at me amused. "Rose, what did I tell you about the battle cry?" Oh man, I gotta stop doing that. He hasn't gotten up yet, which is fine with me. I just lie there smiling and staring at his beautiful brown eyes, hoping that I can look into them forever. He smiles back and leans down and gives me a very tender kiss. My whole body goes weak. He gets off me and helps me stand.

"So comrade, where's my present?" The suspense is killing me. He takes my hand and leads me over to the bleachers and has me sit down. He sits down next to me, looking really nervous. Just as he was about to say something, the gym doors fly open and the most awful sound invades my ears.

"Dimka, oh thank God you're alright." That bitch!

**Did Adrian go too far? I couldn't help myself, Dimitri in a big chicken costume just makes me laugh. I crack myself up sometimes. I need help. Anyway, review and tell me what you think.**


	35. Chapter 35

**I'm glad so many of you thought Adrian's payback was pretty funny. I've had the chicken dance song in my head all night. Haha. Well, now let's see what Tasha wants.**

**Rose POV**

"Dimka, oh thank god you're alright." I swear this woman has a Rose-O-Meter that lets her know when I'm happy, so she can come and take it all away. Well not this time, skank. I look over to Dimitri who looks shocked to see her. She walks over to him and pulls him into a hug, totally ignoring me. "Christian just told me about the raid to save Adrian Ivashkov that you were on. Why would you do something so reckless? I thought you didn't like him." I see Dimitri pull her arms off of him and push her away.

"I went because Rose asked me too. Adrian is her friend and very important to her." I stood up next to Dimitri with my arms across my chest, glaring at her. I'm not about to pretend I like her or that I don't know how she threatened my life to keep Dimitri. She looks over at me liked I just beamed down from a spaceship or something.

"Hello, Rose. I didn't see you there." I'll bet you didn't. She then looks at both of us scowls. "What is she doing here, Dimka?" I'm standing right here. I can speak for myself, so I do.

"Um, I go to school here. Duh. Dimitri is my mentor and he trains me, remember?" No one does sarcasm like Rose Hathaway. I bring my arms to my sides, my hands curl into tight fists as I take a threatening step closer to her. "The question is what are you doing here?" Dimitri instinctively puts his hand on my shoulder to hold me back. He knows how much I would love to beat the crap out of her.

"I'm here to see that my guardian and the father of my unborn children is okay. Not that it's any of your business, little girl." She emphasizes the last bit so condesendingly that my blood starts to boil. How dare she.

"I. Am. Not. A. Little. Girl. I'm eighteen now and can defeat guardians twice my size. You want to try me?" Please say yes so I can beat you to a pulp. Dimitri must sense my anger and puts both arms around my waist and pulls me back away from her. He leans down to whisper in my ear.

"Calm down, Roza. She's not worth it." I tend to disagee, but for him, I allow him to pull me back. She looks a little scared by the murderous look on my face. She should be. She looks over to Dimitri and his arms around me and gets an annoyed look.

"Dimka, I'm tired from the flight, would you take me to your room so I may lie down and rest?" She walks up to him and places her hand on his arm. I am so pissed, I want to rip her arm right off. But for Dimitri's sake, I try to control myself as best I can. I get right in her face when I speak to her.

"Get you hand off him, now." She backs away a few steps, then glares at me.

"Dimitri, she has no right to speak to me that way. You need to put your little student in her place and remind her who you chose to be with. " Now the ball is in Dimitri's court. The moment of truth. Will he defend Tasha or will he tell her he wants me?

"Tasha, I think it will better if you had your own room. I will go to the administration office to get you into the guest quarters." Why does he have to be so polite? Can't he just tell her to go to hell?

"Why would you suggest that Dimka?" She doesn't look to happy. Good. Dimitri looks over to me.

"Rose, would you mind giving Tasha and I a moment?" I so want to tell him 'not a chance', but I can see he needs to do this his way, so I nod my head and storm out. I am still so mad that I need to calm down, so I go out to the track and start running. After my fifth lap, I hear footsteps behind me. I look back and see Alex trying to catch up to me, so I run faster. I know he can't catch me, but I didn't expect him to cheat and cut across the middle. I try to dodge him but he eventually tackles me to the ground and we both break out into laughter. When we finally calm down, we both get up and walk back toward the gym. We sit down against the wall on the side and drink our water. Alex then looks over to me like he wants to say something. I know I also need to talk to him about us. Ugh, this is going to be awkward. I feel bad that I used him, even though that wasn't my intent.

"Alex, you know that I love you, right?" He nods and looks back to me to continue. "I don't know why exactly, but I'm not _in_ love with you anymore." He isn't saying anything but looking down at the ground in front of him, thinking.

"I know what you mean. I love you too, but it's different. Did I ever telll you that I dreamed about you for about a week before you transfered here?" That's news to me. I would say that's kinda weird, but with what I've gone through the last couple days, nothing seems weird anymore.

"No, you never told me. Good dreams I hope." I say as I bump his shoulder and smile.

"Of course. That's why I was a little freaked out when I first saw you."

"Huh, and here I thought it was my badass reputation that had you awed." I tease.

"Well, that had a lot to do with it too." He pauses and looks up into the sky. "But when I met Rose Ann, and I think back to the dream, I think maybe it wasn't you I was dreaming about. I don't know, it sounds crazy but, there's just something about her." I know exactly what he means. It's the same thing I feel for Dimitri.

"You know, I will always think of you as my guarding angel. You helped me so much, you'll never know. I don't think I would have survived the whole thing with Bloom, Dimitri pushing me away again and then Adrian getting captured by Ezekiel." Thinking about Dimitri brings back the pain I felt and thinking about what he is going to decide now. Is he telling Tasha goodbye? Or is he saving that for me? Alex senses my change in mood and takes my hand.

"I can see that you are falling back in love with him again. Just be carefull. If he hurts you again, I will personally destroy him for you." he says seriously. I give him a hug for the wonderful sentiment and hope it never comes to that.

"Thanks, but if he hurts me again, I won't leave anything left for you to destroy." I say with a smile. He smiles back.

"That's true. It almost makes me feel sorry for the guy. Almost." We both laugh at that. Then he looks like he just remembered something. "Speaking of dreams," Oh God. "I had the strangest dream about you and Belikov in chicken suits. It was so funny." He laughs even harder but I am not finding it funny anymore. I try to fake laugh but it doesn't go too well.

"Hmm. Sounds like a riot." I play it off. Thankfully, he doesn't mention anything else about it. Just then, the gym door opens and then gets slammed shut. We both get up to see who came out when we see a very pissed off Tasha. My heart skips a beat and a big smile spreads across my face. She looks over at me and then comes marching over in a huff.

"You little tramp! You have all these stupid boys drooling all over you, willing to do whatever you want, but you have to go after my Dimka. Why can't you just leave him alone? Is it the forbidden fruit that you love? You two look ridiculous together. No one will ever except you. He could have been happy with me if you just left him alone." Okay, does she want some broken bones? Because I'll gladly give her some.

"I tried to stay away from him, but he came after me!" I shout. "He loves me and I love him and that is all that matters, you old fire breathing dragon." Dimitri comes out when he hears the yelling.

"Tasha you need to leave now. There is nothing left for you here." Dimitri tells her very calmly.

"Oh I'll go. But not before I report this little affair you two have going on. She may be legal now, but she is still your student. I don't think the headmistress will look too kindly on this _relationship." _She spits out the last word with venom. I snapped. The anger built up inside me so fast that I didn't even realize what I was doing until I heard the crunch and saw blood all over her face. I broke her nose, and it felt great. I turn to talk to Dimitri.

"That was the best birthday present you could have given me." I smile. Tasha stands there holding her nose, waiting for Dimitri to reprimand me, but he doesn't.

"Unless you want Rose to do more damage, I suggest you go to the clinic to get cleaned up." She looks shocked, I don't really know why. Alex, being the gentleman that he is, offers to walk her down to see the doctor. As they are walking down the hall, he turns back to look at me and gives me a thumbs up. I look up to Dimitri and see a small smile on his lips. He looks down at me and remembers that we were in the middle of something before we were so rudely interupted. "Roza, can you come inside with me? I still have something for you."

I followed him back to the gym. I was getting very excited to know what he got me. I sat back down on the bleachers where I was until she barged in. He sat next to me and took my hand. I turned my body, as he did his, so we were facing each other. "Roza, I am so sorry for ever hurting you. I am the biggest, stupidest idiot on the planet for pushing you away." Well that's a good start. "I told Tasha that I would not be her guardian or her friend anymore." I kinda figured that part out by her hissy fit she unleashed on me. "I realized ever since you left to come here that I couldn't live without you. I was miserable when I didn't see your beautiful face everyday. All the color and light that was around me faded when you weren't with me. And then, when I heard you almost drowned and I wasn't there to save you, it just about killed me. Guardian Bloom hurting you was the last straw. I came to get you back, but I was stupid enough to believe Tasha when she threatened your life. I promise, I will never leave you again." He reached under the bleachers and pulled out a small brown paper bag, like the one he gave me when he bought me the lip gloss. He hands me the bag and gives me a small kiss. "Happy Birthday Roza. I hope you like it." I open the bag and reach my hand in. I feel something hard and fuzzy, like velvet. I pull it out and see a black jewelry box. When I look over to Dimitri, I see that he is kneeling on the ground, on one knee. I am shocked. My mouth is hanging open as he takes the box from my hand and opens it up. Inside is the most beautiful diamond ring I have ever seen in my like. It is pewter with a giant square shaped solitaire on top. He takes the ring out of the box and takes my left hand. "Roza, I love you more than life itself and I never want to be apart from you again. I want to tell the whole world you are mine because I am strong enough to love you the way you deserve. Rose, will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?"

Oh. My. God. Did he just ask me to marry him? Holy crap, he did. Wow. This is the last thing I was ever expecting. But what about all the reasons he always spewed at me for why we couldn't be together? What will we do? Will we get into trouble? Will he get fired? What will my Mom say? Do I want to marry him? Well that's a stupid question.

"Roza, will you ma..."

"Yes! Yes! Yes! I'll marry you Dimitri. I would love to be your wife." I throw my arms around him and hug him tightly. His lets out a huge sigh as he pulls me in tight. He must have been worried I would say no. He pulls away and puts the ring on my finger. My eyes go wide looking at it on my finger. He has really good taste. He leans in to kiss me when I put my hand up to stop him. He looks at me confused. "Adrian, if you can here me, you better put your walls up because you don't want to know what R-rated things I plan on doing to his body right now." Dimitri smiles and leans in again and kisses me so passionately that it brings tears of joy to my eyes. Finally, we are going to be together, no matter what. I'm going to be Guardian Rose Belikov. I love it.

**Did you guess what Dimitri was giving Rose for her birthday? Did Tasha get what she deserved? Review and tell me what you think.**


	36. Chapter 36

**Can you believe their getting married? I'm so excited! Poor Adrian though. Thanks for all the fabulous reviews. I hope you like this chapter, too.**

**Oh to clear up some confusion. I am using the human calendar for her birthday, so she officially turned 18 at midnight human time which is around midday Moroi time. Using that logic, the next Moroi day she still has a couple hours left in her birthday. I hope I didn't confuse you more.**

**I don't own Vampire Academy.**

**Dimitri POV**

My cheeks hurt. I think I pulled a muscle from smiling so wide. My Roza said yes. I still can't believe it. I feel like my feet haven't touched the ground since she agreed to be my wife. The look on her beautiful face when she said yes will forever be etched in my mind. I remember the first day I saw her, in Portland. We had been searching for the Princess and Rose for months, me anyways. The rest of the guardians had been looking for almost two years when I joined the team. I was extremely annoyed it was taking so long to find a couple spoiled, trouble-making teenage girls. But then we found them. If you would have told me earlier that day that I would meet my soul mate in a wild, disrespectful, loudmouth rebel, I would have thought you were crazy. But after I saw her looking out the window, I new my life would never be the same.

I knew it was wrong, loving her. We were both going to be guarding the Princess, I was seven years her senior, she wasn't even legally an adult and I was her mentor. Someone entrusted to help develope her skills and teach her control and respect, not take advantage of her. Keeping my emotions and desires buried under my guardian exterior was a lot harder than I ever imagined. Every day she unknowingly chipped away at it, letting the man underneath peek through. And the more she saw the real me, the more she would challenge me. Quite literally sometimes, like that day in the training room when she kissed me to prove a point about how I fight to keep in control. But the day I knew I was going to ask her to be mine forever was the night Ezekiel decided to invade our lives. I was so scared for my Roza, knowing this delusional, evil abomination of nature was coming after her to turn her into one of them. The thought of losing her for good, made me realize how much I loved her, how much I needed her. I knew I had to keep her safe. It is for purely selfish reasons I needed her alive. I could not exist without her. She was still mad at me for pushing her away again, a regret I will be making up to her for the rest of her life. But I knew she loved me as much as I loved her. Knowing an empathic Spirit user has its advantages. If Rose is anything, she is determined. Once she puts her mind to something, nothing will hold her back. One of the many traits I fell in love with. I knew that to make sure she didn't get killed, I needed to be with her on her mission, no matter what it took or how many rules I had to break. I risked my career and even prison to help her with her plans to rescue Adrian. Only for her would I do this. It's a small price to pay for protecting her.

Now, I get to be with her every day of my life. I don't know exactly how we will manage in our world that looks down upon unions like ours, but together, I know we will figure it out. She once told me, or rather shouted at me, that she would leave everthing she knew behind, as long as we were together. Now we are actually going to do that. I have already spoken to the headmistress here and Guardian Sidorov about my relationship with Rose. They were not very pleased at first, but since Rose is a legal adult now, they wouldnt't object. They just asked that we not let it interfere with her schooling or my duties. Since graduation is almost here, I think we can manage keeping ourselves under control until then. At least, I hope we can.

After Rose accepted my proposal, we went and did a little celebrating in the supply closet. We couldn't keep our hands off each other long enough to make it to either of our rooms. The feel of her lips on mine and the touch of her skin was so much more electric now that she agreed to be mine and I to be hers. If getting engaged made the intensity of our love feel this good, I can't wait till we get married. After our heavy make out session, I reluctantly pull away, knowing she needs to get Jacob and escort him to breakfast.

"But I'd rather stay here with you." she pouts.

"Me too, Roza. But we can't let 'us' get in the way of our responsibilities. I will come see you at breakfast. Now go get your charge and I'll see you later." I lean down to give her a light peck on the lips, but Rose wasn't having any of that. She pulled me down into another passionate kiss. I groan as I use every ounce of will power I can muster to pull away. "Roza, later, I promise." She finally unwraps her arms from me and walks out of the gym, giving me that smile that melts my core. That's my Roza, my future wife. I love the way that sounds.

After I go take a cool shower to calm myself down (I have a feeling I'll be doing that a lot until we're married), I go to the dining hall to meet Rose and her friends for breakfast. I want to be there when she tells them the good news, especially her best friend Lissa. She and Christian arrived last night, apparently with his aunt in tow. Rose hasn't seen them yet. I bring them with me to breakfast to surprise Rose, even though she is the one who asked them to come. We arrive before the others do and get settled in the farthest table away from the crowd. We don't need the whole school hearing about this just yet.

Through the door comes Peter, Alex and Rose Ann. Everyone keeps saying how much she looks like my Roza, but to me there is no comparison. Of course, Rose outshines every woman on Earth. Finally, Rose and Jacob walk in, and he is holding a present. As soon as Rose sees Lissa, she comes running over and pulls her into a big hug. She sits down next to her to catch up while I go get her something to eat. When I go sit back down next to her, she gives me a kiss and whispers in my ear.

"Can I tell them now?" I nod and she reaches into her pocket to pull out the ring and slips on her finger under the table. Apparently she didn't want Jacob finding out the news before Lissa. I put my arm around her waist for support. I get a couple warry looks from Alex and Rose Ann.

"This morning at training, Dimitri gave me the best birthday present ever." Alex laughed at this, probably remembering Rose's comment after she punched Tasha.

"Yeah, and I had to walk her down to get the doctor to fix her broken nose." He gets a few puzzled looks at his statement, but Rose just continued.

"As you all can see, Dimitri as come to his senses and realized that he can't do any better than me." Everyone at the table chuckles at that. What they don't know is that I knew that all along. "So he decided to man up and he asked me to marry him and I said yes." She pulls her hand out from under the table to show everyone her ring. Everyone is stunned for a second, until Lissa breaks the silence with a scream.

"Oh my god, you're getting married!" She gives her a big hug and they both start to scream and jump up and down in their seats. Everyone is smiling and congratulating us, except Alex. He looks at me with a frown. Sorry buddy, but what you two had didn't compare to what we share. Better luck next time.

"I hope you know what you just got yourself into Belikov." Christian smirks. Rose shoots him a dirty look and Lissa elbows him. I'm not really sure I like this kid. I give Rose a tight squeeze before I respond.

"Of course I do. That's why I asked her to be mine forever." My answer receives a sigh from the girls and a big kiss from Rose. Jacob decides now is a good time for bringing out the gift he brought since it's almost time for class.

"Rose, I wanted to get you something special for your birthday." Rose is hesitant to accept the gift and I don't blame her. She opens the box and immediately starts to blush. She tries to cover it back up so no one can see it, but Christian grabs it from her and takes the gift out. It is a stuffed yellow chicken that clucks when you squeeze its tummy. Oh no. If this has anything to do with Adrian and his damn dream, heads are going to roll. Christian starts laughing so hard, he almost falls out of his chair. Not a good sign.

"This...reminds me...of a dream I had...last night." He says through his laughter. Everyone starts looking at each other and whispering and giggling realizing they had the same dream. Lissa figures out how before anyone else.

"Adrian. He can still dream walk and it seems he is getting stronger if he pulled so many people into one dream." She looks over at me and tries to hold in her laughter, but is failing miserably. I want to kill Adrian, but how can I touch him when he doesn't even have his own freaking body. Rose must sense my discomfort because she gets up, glaring at Jacob and pulls me up too.

"I'm going to go say goodbye to my fiance before he has to go on guard duty. Get it out of you system now and when I return, we will never speak of this again. Understand?" Everybody nods and starts laughing again. We walk out and go into an empty classroom. She immediately pulls me into a passionate kiss before I can say anything. I love kissing Roza. I am thrilled that I get to do this with her everyday for the rest of my life. How did I get so lucky? She pulls away and looks at me. "I'm sorry about what Adrian did. Don't worry, I'll make sure nobody says anything outside our little circle and I will beat the crap out of Adrian tonight." She smiles at me and leans in to continue what we were doing. I know we need to stop before I have to take another cold shower and she needs to get that asshole to class. I pull away and walk her out the door.

"I'll see you tonight Roza." I kiss her goodbye before heading off. This is gonna be a long day.

**Rose POV**

I walk back into the dining hall and walk over to our table. My friends immediately become silent as I approach. Good. They took my warning seriously. I tell Lissa and Christian I'll talk to them at lunch and I grab Jacob and we walk to his first class. "You didn't like my gift did you?" he says trying to look hurt. Doesn't he have anything better to do than annoy the hell out of me?

"What was your first clue?" He doesn't answer but silently laughs to himself. I hope he'll get bored with this soon, but I have a feeling he'll never let it go. As I am standing at the back of the class, watching my surroundings, my mind keeps flashing back to when Dimitri proposed to me. I can feel the huge smile play upon my face and it just won't go away. I barely notice the five figures dressed in black until they are right on top of me. I've never heard of a five on one attack during field experience before. I guess they figured it was the only way they could actually defeat me. As I start to attack one, a couple move behind me and grab me and start dragging me out of the classroom. I start to struggle and manage to kick one in the face pretty good, but it doesn't stop me from being taken. I don't think this is part of the field experience anymore. I start to scream for help. I see Dimitri and Rose Ann running after me. My attackers actually get me to the front gate, but are taken down by my Russian God and big sister. As soon as I'm free from their hold, I help fight the last one standing. When we get them all tied up we notice that they are humans disguised as guardians. With all the extra guardians around from the Queen's task force, they must have slipped right on through. Suddenly I'm not feeling real good about Lissa being here. But she wasn't their target, I was.

When we look beyond the front gate, we see a butt load of Strigoi coming our way. There are at least fifty of them. The wards must be down. I immediately call Lissa and tell them to go back to their room. I know Christian will burn the crap out of anything that comes close to Lissa. At the head of the invading army, is Ezekiel, of course. But what shocks me the most is who is standing right next to him with a big grin on his face.

"Hello Little Dhampir. I've come to awaken you, my love."

**I noticed that I almost have 700 reviews. Can you believe it? It's because of all the wonderful readers who love to let me know what they think of my story. So please, do it again and review. Let's see how fast we can get to 800.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. You guys rock! Now let's see what's in store for our favorite badass novice.**

**I don't own Vampire Academy.**

**Rose POV**

"Hello Little Dhampir. I've come to awaken you, my love." Oh my freakin' god. Stigoi Adrian is standing not fifty feet away from me, seperated only by a giant wrought iron gate. He wants to turn me? He sure became one of Ezekiel's little minnions really fast.

"I'm sorry,_ Darling_, but that just isn't going to happen." I say defiantly. He smiles brightly as if I just offered up a tempting challenge, which I guess I did.

"Oh Rose, always the stubborn one. You think you're strong and powerful now? Wait until you're one of us, you'll thank me for it. And I have a few ideas on how you can show me your gratitude." he says with a smirk. Well, I can see his talent for sexually harrassing me hasn't been effected by his transformation.

"In your dreams Strigoi boy." I say with my hand on my hip. No way am I gonna let him know that I'm a bit terrified of him succeeding in his mission. I suddenly feel hand touch my shoulder which causes me to jump. I look over and it's just Dimitri coming to offer his support. It works. Having him so close to me fills me with strength and love. I know I can do anything with him by my side. He takes my hand in his and grips tightly as if trying to keep me from floating away. He looks toward Ezekiel and Adrian.

"If you think I'll let you get anywhere near her, you are sadly mistaken." he growls. I hear footsteps behind me getting closer. I glance over my shoulder to see all the queen's guardians and most of the school's guardians coming to help fight off the invading army. I also see my friends, including Lissa come up behind them. Having Lissa so close to danger makes me even more nervous, and not just because of all the emotions slamming into me from our bond. She looks at me and puts on a brave smile, but she can't fool me. I know she is just as scared for me as I am for her. Christian is standing next to her, ready to fight if any Strigoi get too close. Looking at him reminds me of his Aunt Tasha, the bitch, and her ideas of Moroi using offensive magic against Strigoi. I look up to Dimitri.

"We need fire users." he looks at me and nods in understanding. He relays the message to the rest of the guards. I can hear a couple of them start to run off, assumably to round up some Moroi teachers and students willing to help. It's a very controversial subject, Moroi using their magic in this way, but I know there are some who are willing to fight side by side with guardians. I look back again and see Jacob. He is staring at the massive crowd of Strigoi waiting for their chance to attack. I can tell he is scared, but that doesn't seem to stop him wanting to do his part. I knew he couldn't be all bad. Alex, of course, is standing in front of Rose Ann, stake in hand. Always the protector.

"Rose, stop all this foolishness before someone you love gets killed. Come to us now, and we will let them live. Protest, and we attack, and win. You will still be awakened, but your friends will not live to see you in all your glory." Ezekiel reasons. I look over to him, but my gaze finds its way back to Adrian. My heart breaks looking at him with those crimson eyes and pale, pale skin. I realize that this may be our only chance to send his soul home. I need to get him closer so I can touch him and send Spirit back to his body. That thought scares the hell out of me. I know Dimitri will protest, but I have to try.

"Dimitri, I need to get Adrian over here so we can heal him." I whisper, hoping Adrian doesn't overhear. Dimitri looks at me like I just lost my mind. "Do you want him to live inside my body for the rest of our lives? I have to try." He shakes his head at me.

"It's too risky. Maybe if we weren't so outnumbered, we could try, but it's too dangerous." I know that he isn't going to budge on this.

"Okay, but I don't want him killed. We need him alive if we have a chance to save him." He rolls his eyes a bit but concedes, telling the rest of the guards through their communication device, that Adrian is not to be killed. Adrian looks over at me curiously. He must have heard our conversation.

"I'm happy to see that my becoming Strigoi didn't change your love for me Rose. I love you too. That's why I want you to join me forever." He says seriously.

"I can't do that, and you know it. But you can come with us. Let us try to help you. Maybe with the help of Spirit, you can be whole again. We have to try." Apparently I am quite the commedian because he starts laughing.

"Oh Little Dhampir, you slay me. If by some miracle, I was able to return to my former Moroi self, would you leave your Russian to be with me?" he had to ask that question, didn't he? But, I don't want to lie.

"Well, no..."

"That's what I thought. When I awaken you, I get you all to myself. Why would I want to go back to what we had, just friends. I want to be more than just your friend Rose." He says seductivlely. Dimitri reacts by letting out a low growl and stiffening, ready to attack. This is going to be harder than I thought.

"That's enough!" Ezekiel yells. "We don't have time for this. We need to awaken her before the next hour. Now cease this irrelevent banter and do what I have awakened you for." He shouts at Adrian. Adrian looks annoyed that he was interupting his fun, but then he looked over at me again and smiled.

"I can't wait to taste your blood again, Little Dhampir. I've never tasted anything so delicious." he directs to me, licking his lips. He looks back over his shoulder to the hungry mass of Strigoi behind him. "Kill the rest, but leave the Chosen One for me." At that, every body behind him starts walking towards us. Luckily by that time, Moroi reinforcements have come to stand side by side with the guardians. Dimitri calls over to Christian to stand by me, extra protection.

"Don't you dare move, Christian!" I yelled at him. Both Dimitri and he looked at me confused. "You need to stay and protect Lissa. If anything happens to her, so help me god, I will kick your ass." He nods and I look around and my eyes land on Jacob, who is looking at me with an eagerness to prove himself. "Jacob, come here." He runs over and stands on one side of my with Dimitri on the other. I look at him to give him directions. "You don't need to unleash all your power. Just enough to distract him so that Dimitri or I can stake and kill them, you understand?" He nods with a smile.

"No problem, Super Chicken. I think I can handle that." I don't know how he could still crack jokes at a time like this, but it did make me smile. There were Strigoi climbing over the gate and walls supposedly protecting the academy. Suddenly, some of them burst into flames and fell back onto the ground, writhing in pain. I looked over to see a couple of the Moroi teachers throwing flames from their hands toward the gate. I could see the worry in the eyes of a few approaching Strigoi. A couple actually manage to dodge the flames and get on the other side of the gate. Some guardians starting fighting them, but one was able to unlock the gate, giving the others easy access to us. The rest flowed right in like water from a broken dam. Mayhem is all around us. Flashes of light move all around me as Strigoi burned like dancing candles. Guardians are not taking their time as they quickly stake them through the heart. The smell is unbareable as the ground is littered with crispy critters.

Most of them are heading in my direction, obviously trying to please Ezekiel by getting me themselves. Luckily for me, Dimitri isn't having any of that. It's like a perfectly choreographed dance. Jacob would light a part of an approaching Strigoi on fire; hair, shirt even the crotch of their pants if they mouthed off to me. Then Dimitri or I would take them down with our silver stake. As I glance around, most of the Strigoi are dead. I see Adrian and Ezekeil starting to retreat. I can't let Adrian get away. I start running toward the gate when Dimitri grabs my hand.

"Rose, where do you think you're going?"

"I have to save him. We're not outnumbered anymore." He probably wishes he never said that. He nods at me, knowing I'm not going to be held back, and follows me with Lissa and Christian right behind him.

"Adrian, I need you." I yell to get his attention. It works. He stops and turns to look at me.

"I knew you would come around someday Little Dhampir. But today is unfortunately not the day." He says as he sees the others running behind me. He starts to walk away again and I start to panick. I need him to come to me because with his new found speed, there is not way we can catch him. So I say the first thing that comes to my mind that will get him to do what I want.

"I love you Adrian. Don't leave me." I must sound convincing because next thing I know, he is right in front of me.

"Do you mean that Rose? Do you love me?" He is looking right in my eyes, looking for any evidence that I am trying to deceive him. So I tell him the truth.

"Yes, I love you Adrian." Which is true, but doesn't need to know who I love more because deep down, he already knows. I hear the rest of my friends finally catch up and stand behind me.

"Show me Rose. Show me how much you love me." He leans his head down, his lips getting closer to mine. I swallow down the bile that is rising in my throat. Being this close to a Strigoi is repulsing enough, but to kiss one, even Adrian, his unbarable. I think of the real Adrian, the one I see in my dreams, my friend that would do anything for me, and I press my lips to his. He immediately increase the intensity and I respond, only thinking of my friend and helping free his soul. I can feel Spirit welling up inside me and I try to push it to my lips and release it into Strigoi Adrian. Something isn't right. I should feel the magic flowing out of me, but it isn't. It feels like it's being blocked and is just building up. I hear someone walking up to us and put a hand on my arm. Adrian jumps away. I look over and see Lissa. She is trying to help me but when she touched his arm, he drew back. He looks back and forth between us with an angry look on his face. "What were you trying to do?"

"I only want to help you. Please, let me help you." I plead. This makes him angrier. I automatically push Lissa back and away, never taking my eyes off him. I notice his gaze moves from my face to the vein in my neck, his eyes glazing over in bloodlust. I step back as he jumps at me, teeth bared. Before he can sink his teeth into my flesh, I feel a burn on my arm as he releases me from his grasp. I see that the sleeve of his shirt is on fire. Thank goodness Christian has such good aim. Dimitri grabs me and pushes me behind him, blocking my view of Adrian.

"It is only because of Rose that you are still standing. Leave now before even she can't save you from me." Dimitri growls. After patting out the flame on his shirt, Adrian looks around Dimitri to me and smiles.

"Until we meet again, Little Dhampir. And we will." He bows to me and takes off so fast all I can see is a blur. Damn it!

**So what did you think? What do think Adrian's reaction will be? Review and let me know. **


	38. Chapter 38

**Hey everyone. Thanks for the wonderful reviews. **

**I noticed that Fanfiction doesn't always bump up one of my favorite stories when the author, maxiemoose, updates a chapter. So, if you haven't read Why Me?, do yourself a favor and find it. There are so many wonderful stories that are out there, but for some reason, I haven't seen this one at the top of the list recently and I don't want anyone to miss out on such a good story.**

**I don't own Vampire Academy.**

**Rose POV**

I can't believe it didn't work. Strigoi Adrian still walks the Earth. And the fact that he is now buddy buddy with Ezekiel is not comforting. At least it is offically NOT my eighteenth birthday anymore, so there is no immediate danger that they will try to turn me. Amazingly, our side suffered only minor injuries, no casualties. Since we're students, we didn't have to help clean up the entire mess, except Dimitri, and Rose Ann who offered to help. The rest of us went to Lissa's room to try and relax. Lissa was still a little freaked out, so I wanted to stay as close to her as I could till she calmed down. Of course, Jacob wouldn't shut up about what happened.

"That was totally the coolest thing I ever did. Did you see me out there? I was like 'take that you undead bastard'." he says while jestering with his hands how he threw flames at the Strigoi. How old is he, six? He's lucky it turned out the way it did. I know all too well how it can go horribly wrong.

"Yes, Jacob, we are all very proud of you, but can you do us all a favor and shut the hell up?" I yell at him. His incessant blabbering is giving me a headache and not helping Lissa's nerves. He looks at me shocked.

"Sorry Chickie. I'm just still riding the high from all that adreneline. Do you know how many girls I'm going to impress when they find out I'm a big, bad, flame-throwing Strigoi killer? Man, this is going to be fun." What a sleaze. I was liking him before he opened his big mouth. And why does he insist on giving me these stupid nicknames?

"So you and Belikov are getting hitched, huh?" Christian asks while putting an arm around my shoulder and leading me over to where Lissa is sitting. He must have noticed the look on my face that said 'Jacob needs to bleed'.

"Oh my goodness, Rose. We need to start planning. Have you guys set the date yet? Where should we have the services? Does he have a big family? Are you going to invite your Mom? Whose going to walk you down the aisle? What are your colors...".

"Lissa! Maybe if you took a breath I can answer a question. Now, one at a time." We spend the next few hours making wedding plans. I don't really care too much, but I know it makes Lissa happy. I let her do most of it, I just get to use my veto power when she goes a little overboard. "I draw the line at swans. You know animals don't like dhampirs. And no releasing of doves either. I just want something small and simple. We could get married buck naked in a field for all I care. I just want to make Dimitri my husband." I smile.

"Thanks Rose. I really needed that visual in my head." Christian cringes at the mental image of the two of us sans clothes. Of course, Jacob had to add his two cents.

"Maybe you two could get married in those chicken getups in someone's barn. Dimitri could be the rooster and you the hen." He laughs.

"Only if you're in a horse costume. Alex can be the head and you could be the back. You know, 'cause you're a horse's ass." I can play this game too.

"Alright, what about Lissa?" He continues.

"Oh, I want to be a swan. They're so pure and graceful." Lissa pipes up. This game is really ridiculous but at least it has taken her mind of this morning's events. "What about Christian?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm a bull." he puffs his chest out for Lissa who giggles and gently punches him in the arm.

"Nah. I think I see you more as a goat. You know, stuborn and always butting heads." I taunt. He just sneers at me while Lissa pats his shoulder reassuringly.

"You'll always be a bull to me, honey." she tells him. The rest of us just start laughing and rolling on the ground. When we finally calm down enough to talk, we continue.

"What about Peter?" Jacob asks.

"Hmm. I think he can be a dog. Very loyal, hard-working and sensitive." I think that fits him well. Peter smiles at me, liking his animal. "Okay, Rose Ann next. What could she be?" Alex suggests one without much thought.

"She can be a fox, sexy and confident." he has a big grin on his face and a far away look. I'll have to talk to them later to find out what exactly is going on between the two of them. But fox?

"No way. If anyone is going to be a sexy fox at _my_ wedding, it will be me, thank you." You can't upstage the bride. "How about a cat. They're quick and agile, always killing mice like guardians kill Strigoi." Alex nods at the compromise.

"Whose left? Oh, we can't leave out Adrian. That one is obvious. He's a peacock. Vain, pompous and always strutting where ever he goes like he owns the place. Do you like that Adrian?" I know he can't answer back but I want him to know I haven't forgotten him.

"Don't forget all the colors, like the auras he sees." adds Peter. We all let a silence fall over the room as we think about Adrian and what we still need to do for him. The moment is interupted when Dimitri and Rose Ann come walking through the door. He walks right over to me a plants a big kiss right on my lips. It feels so good not to have to hide anymore. I notice Rose Ann make a bee line right to Alex and sit right next to him on the couch. His face just lit up when she walked in the room. I'm glad he found someone that makes him happy. Now we just need to find someone for Peter and Adrian. I don't want to subject some poor girl to Jacob just yet. He still needs some work.

"You three" Dimitri points to Alex, Jacob and Peter. "should be getting to your dorm rooms now. It's almost curfew." They all get up to leave, including Rose Ann when Jacob opens his mouth.

"What about Rose? Is she above the rules now that she's 'clucking' a guardian?" Enough with the stupid chicken jokes. He's the only one that even thinks they're funny. I can't wait until he runs out of material. I look at Dimitri and I can tell he is also getting pretty annoyed by Jacob's mouth. I squeeze his hand reminding him to keep control.

"Yes, she is." he simply states silencing Jacob. It's about time someone found a way to shut him up. We say goodnight to them and Lissa and Christian. He starts walking me back to my dorm room. I'm disappointed because I was hoping we were going to spend the night together in his room, continuing the celebration we started this morning. When we get to my room, he goes to my closet and pull out my suitcase. I look over at him puzzled. "You are no longer staying here. I got permission for you to stay with me from now on." he grins. I'm impressed. All of a sudden, realization hits me and I start to panick a little. From here on in, Dimitri and I will be living together. He is going to see me at my worst. He'll be introduced to all my bad habits. Like leaving my dirty clothes all over the floor, how I always seem to get toothpaste splatter on the bathroom mirror and never bother to clean it up, how I sometimes like to eat sunflower seeds and try to spit the shells into the wastepaper basket across the room and usually miss, and all my femine products for when Aunt Flo comes to visit. Everything I keep behind closed doors. And what about him? What weird habits does he hide from the rest of the world? This is happening all too fast. Oh god, I'm getting a little light headed and can't take a deep breath. I need to sit down. I think I'm having an anxiety attack. Luckily, Dimitri notices and pulls me over to the bed and sits down with me.

"What's wrong Roza?" He looks so concerned. He's going to think I'm an idiot. Well, if he wants to be with me forever, he needs to know what he's getting.

"I can't believe I'm going to be living with a boy." I say dazed. He just smiles at me shaking his head. I know Dimitri is no boy, far from it. He is the very definition of a man, a drop dead sexy man.

"Oh Roza, it will be fine. I understand it will be an adjustment for you. If it makes it easier for you, remember that I grew up with three sisters. Nothing you do will shock me." That does make me feel a little better. I give him a smile and get up to finish packing my bag.

We walk over to the guardians quarters and to his, I mean, our room. After he unlocks the door, he picks me up bridal style and walks me into the room. He shuts the door with his foot and makes his way to the bed. I put my head down on his shoulder and inhale deeply, taking in his wonderful scent of aftershave and shampoo. He must have showered before coming to get me. I look up into his beautiful brown eyes and get lost in their depth. He leans down and kisses my lips so softly. Without taking his lips off mine, he lays my down on the bed. He increases the intensity of the kiss while he positions himself over me. My hands start to roam all over his chest and back with such urgency. His shirt is getting in the way so I start unbuttoning the front. I'm not the most patient person and the buttons are not the easiest to undo, so I say 'screw it' as I just pull it apart and send little black buttons flying across the room.

"Roza, If you needed help, you could've just asked. I liked that shirt." I didn't want to chit chat about ruined shirts, so I put my hands around his neck and pull him back down so I can feel his lips on mine again.

"Sorry." I say against his lips, barely stopping to let the word out. My body is so full of lust and love for Dimitri at this moment, it's almost overwelming. He pushes my shirt up and over my head so fast, I barely noticed is was gone. His hands went around my waist and made their way up my back to undo my bra. When it was added to the growing pile of clothes on the floor, he paused to take look at me. As his gaze swept from my bare chest to my face, I could see the hunger in his eyes. "You don't need to be in control anymore comrade. Let it go." Those words must have triggered something because the next thing I know his lips are on mine and moving with such passion and intensity, my whole body begins to ache with anticipation of what's to come. Something I have never done before. I'm so glad that I saved myself for him, the only man who will ever know me in this way. In what seems like only seconds, the rest of our clothes have joined the others. We have so much skin rubbing and touching together, I'm surprised we haven't caught fire. We spend most of the night making love and just enjoying being as close to each other as we could possibly get.

"I love you, Roza. I'm so happy that your beautiful face will be the first thing I see every morning and the last thing I see every night. You make me so happy, Roza. I promise to spend the rest of my days devoted to making you feel the same." his kisses the top of my head as we are laying together, legs entangled and arms wrapped around each other tight. My head is resting on his chest, moving up and down with his breathing. I am so exhausted from the day's events, and especially this evenings activities, that I feel myself being pulled into a deep sleep.

"I love you too, Dimitri. Always." I murmer as I close my eyes. The next thing I know, I am sitting in a lovely garden, full of colorful spring flowers. The sun is shining brightly and there are a few puffy, cottonball clouds floating overhead. I look around for Adrian, but I don't see him. I start walking around, knowing he's here somewhere, but probably not too pleased with me. I failed him, again. He must hate me now. As I round a corner, I see a beautiful white gazebo off in the distance. Adrian is sitting on the steps, resting on his elbows looking up at the clouds. I walk over and stand right in front of him and wait to see if he notices I am even there.

"Hello Little Dhampir. I'm glad you were able to come up for air long enough to come see me." Great, a guilt trip. Well, it's not going to work this time. I didn't do anything wrong.

"Well, if you're just going to act like this, I'll leave you with your little pity party. See ya." I huff as I turn to walk away. I thought he was going to stop me, but he doesn't. So I walk to the other side of the garden and sit on a little bench by some red rose bushes. I try to relax, enjoying the fragrance of the flowers and the feel of grass between my toes. I close my eyes and tilt my head toward the sky feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. It isn't long until I feel someone sitting next to me. I turn my head and open one eye and see Adrian. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to send you back. I don't know what happened. I tried. I'll do better next time." He snaps his head up and looks at me like I just slapped him in the face.

"There isn't going to be a next time Rose." Wow, he sounds pissed. "Do you know how terrified I was with you being so close to him? He could have killed you in seconds. But nooo, you go right up to the monster and give him a big old smooch. You either have the biggest cojones ever or absolutely no regard for personal safety. It's probably a mixture of both, actually. I can't believe Belikov let you do that." He is fuming. This is so not the reaction I thought I would get from him. I thought he'd be mad, but because it didn't work, not because I tried. I stand up in front of him and he stands up too. Now we are face to face just inches apart.

"What the hell was I supposed to do? Your body was right there in front of me. It was probably the only opportunity we were going to get. I wasn't going to just sit there and let it walk away." I say yelling just as loud as him.

"Do you really hate having me here so badly that you would willingly go running into the arms of some Strigoi just to get rid of me?" he yells. How could he think that?

"Are you crazy? I don't mind sharing my body. I like having you here because I know you're safe." I yell back.

"Rose, you can't just go running into danger without thinking. You'll get yourself killed. Then where will either of us be?" Good point. But I'll never admit that to him.

"You need to trust me Adrian. You need to trust in the others too. We are going to do whatever it takes to get you back. We can handle it." I see his face soften a bit as he is calming down. He pulls my hands in his and looks down at the engagement ring Dimitri gave me earlier.

"I can't lose you, Rose. Not more than I already have." I hate seeing him hurt like this. But he always knew how I felt.

"Adrian, don't do this. Don't you want me to be happy?" I wait for him to respond and of course he nods his head in agreement. "Well Dimitri makes me happy and he will do everything possible to keep me safe. Isn't that what you want?" He lifts his head up and looks me in the eyes.

"But I wanted to be the one to make you smile and keep you safe."

"You do, Adrian. But, he is the other half of me. Neither of us makes sense without the other. We belong together. That doesn't mean I don't need you in my life too. And the others. We all work so well together, even Jacob to an extent." He gives a little chuckle.

"So you think I'm a peacock, huh?" he smiles a little.

"Well that's better than being a chicken. I forgot I'm mad at you. How could you do that to us? You should be happy I didn't succeed today or Dimitri would have killed you right after we saved you." We both start laughing. I'm so glad he is out of that foul mood. We hold each others hand as we walk around the garden and talk about how we can make this work. The next thing he wants to work on is trying to communicate with me while I'm awake. I'm not too sure about that. I can't run away from him if he is always in my head.

The dream starts to fade and I give Adrian a hug goodbye. "Tell Dimitri that if he doesn't take care of you and keep you safe and happy, I'll visit his dreams and dress him in drag and make him sing show tunes." he smiles.

"Will do. See you tonight." I wake up looking into the eyes of my lover, friend and fiance. He is gently placing little kisses all over my face.

"Good moring Roza. How is Adrian?" I'm so glad he has accepted this whole bizarre situation. I guess he realizes that a life with me is no where near the definition of normal.

"Better now. He said to tell you that if you don't treat me right, he'll haunt your dreams, and he won't be nice about it." he looks at me and lifts his eyebrow asking me to elaborate. "Think Broadway, center stage." He laughs and shakes his head.

"I guess I'll have to do what I plan all along and treat you like the goddess you are." He leans down and kisses me in a way that makes me forget my own name. I'm glad his bed is comfortable because I think we're going to be in it a lot.

**Review and tell me what you thought. Also, I was wondering what you all thought about Moroi getting Molinja or battle marks. Should it be exclusive to dhampirs? I don't remember reading in Shadow Kiss is Christian got a battle mark for his part in the attack. Let me know what you think.**


	39. Chapter 39

**A shoutout to Brennaboo12 for an idea I used in this chapter. Thanks. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. **

**I don't own Vampire Academy.**

**Rose POV**

I'm sitting on the academy jet with my fiance, I love saying that, and friends. There is going to be a special ceremony to honor the Moroi that fought during the attack on our academy last week. Dimitri, Alex, Rose Ann and I already got our battle marks for the fight two days ago. It was a private ceremony only guardians can attend. Since this was the first time Moroi fought along side guardians to defeat the Strigoi, the Queen wanted to recognize their efforts. I didn't realize it at the time, but Tasha was fighting that night, too, and she is also coming to court with us. Thankfully she is on the opposite side of the plane from Dimitri and I. She makes it a point to stay away from us, more likely me since she probably doesn't want another broken nose. She is very involved in the issue of Moroi using their magic offensively, the only thing we agree on. While at court, the Queen has also requested a private meeting with Dimitri and me. Why? I'm not really sure I want to know.

I am leaning my head on Dimitri's shoulder as he is reading one of his favorite western novels. Suddenly, my head starts to hurt. I put up my mental blocks before the plane took off, but for some reason they're coming down. I start to see shadowy shapes flitting across my eyes. The pain behind my eyes is killing me. "Son of a bitch this hurts." I say as I press the heals of my hands to my eyes trying to push the pain away. This immediately gets Dimitri's attention.

"What's wrong Roza?" he asks while gently caressing my cheek.

"Headache. Ghosts. You know. The usual hell that is my life." I give a little laugh so he doesn't worry too much.

"Do you really think you're life is hell?" he asks with a cute smile.

"No." I say as I look into his eyes. "Some parts are absolute heaven, you and my friends. But, some parts are crap. Like the effects of being shadow kissed."

"Aww, Rose, I didn't know you felt like that way about me. I am a heavenly body, but I didn't think you appreciated it." Jacob teases.

"Jacob, I put you in the crap catagory." I say dryly. I lay my head back against the seat and close my eyes, trying to put the mental block back up.

_Rose?_

"Yes?" I respond.

_Rose, can you hear me?_

"Yes I can hear you. What the hell do you want?" I yell looking around to see who's interupting me.

_This is great! I did it!_

I look around to see who is shouting in my ear. It is so loud and making my headache worse. Everyone is just staring at my quietly with a confused look on their faces. Dimitri looks worried. "Why are you all looking at me like that and who is talking to me?" I'm getting pissed now.

_It's me Rose. Adrian. I can talk to you now._

"Adrian? That's you? Oh my god you did it!" I'm very excited now. I start bouncing up and down in my seat and give Dimitri a big hug and kiss on the cheek. He smiles at me realizing what is going on. I get another shooting pain in my head and I groan. "Adrian, did you tamper with my blocks?"

_Well, I had to put them down so I could talk to you. _

"Oh. Could you possibly put them back up and I'll talk to you later? The pain is killing me."

_Sorry Little Dhampir. I try again later._

We get to the court and we head to our rooms. Apparently someone messed up and put Dimitri and Rose Ann in the same room and me with Lissa. Hopefully just a misunderstanding. We quickly switch and I jump on the enormous bed in our room. I flop down on my back and Dimitri comes over and jumps on top of me. He teasingly gives me tender kisses along my neck and collarbone.

_Hey Little Dhampir. Whatcha doin'? _he sing songed_._

"Adrian, now is not a good time. Go away." I say as Dimitri comes over to my mouth to kiss me. He stops and looks at me with a rather annoyed look.

"Adrian, unless you want a repeat of last week, I suggest you go into your hiding place." Dimitri warns. I laugh remembering how we tortured him.

_Come on you guys. You can do this later. I'm lonely and want some company_. he whines. Guilt gets the better of me and I sit up, stopping our fun. Dimitri just scowls.

"Sorry honey, but he's feeling lonely and neglected." Dimitri gives me one of his 'I don't care' looks. "How about a compromise. Adrian, you give us thirty min... one hour, and you can come out with us to celebrate after the Moroi ceremony. Deal?"

_Can you guys seriously not keep your hands off each other until tonight? I mean, really. You're like rabbits._

"Well I guess that's better than chickens. And no, we can't. So you have ten seconds to hide before you get assulted by Dimitri's lips. Ten, nine, eight..."

_Okay, okay, I'm going. Just wait until you fall asleep Little Dhampir. You'll pay for this._

I smile and Dimitri picks up where we left off. This is definitely going to get ackward.

After the Moroi recognition ceremony, we go to the little bar at the court. Jacob and Christian each got a medal for their role in the attack. Jacob is strutting around with the gold pin on his chest, showing it off to every female in the place. Christian put his in his pocket as soon as we walked in. It's not that he isn't proud of what he did, he just thinks the whole ceremony was just a way to appease activists like Tasha. God forbid he do anything government approved. Mia found us at the ceremony and told us about how she has been taking fighting lessons from some of the guards here at court. She is very impressed with what the Moroi at the academy did. She especially hangs on every word Jacob spews out about his part, most of it exagerated. Apparently, he not only lit them on fire, but karate chopped one of their heads off as well. I must have missed that. We all make a toast to our friendship and to the hopes of getting Adrian out of my body. I think Dimitri wants that more than anyone. Jacob is getting pretty drunk and starts going off about how he didn't get a tattoo like the guardians did.

"It's not fair. Yours is there forever. This medal could get lost or stolen and then what do I have to show the ladies?" he slurs. Poor guy can't hold his liquer very well.

"The reason we get tattoos and you get dime store medals is because you Moroi couldn't handle the pain. You're too delicate." I say as I stick my lower lip out in a pout as I pat his arm.

"I know the guy that does the Molnija marks here at court. Maybe he could give you one?" Mia tells Jacob. I think she has a little crush and is trying to impress him. I think it's working. His face lights up and he puts on arm around her.

"Really? Could you call him? I'm ready right now. I'll show you Rose. There isn't anything I can't handle." he glares at me. Yeah right.

"You can't get a Molnija mark because you aren't a guardian and you didn't actually kill any Strigoi." I retort.

"Then I'll get something else, then." This should be interesting.

"I know, why don't you get a tattoo of a rose on your ass?" That gets a good laugh out of everyone at the table, except Jacob.

"Only if you get a chicken on yours." he counters. Over my dead body.

"Okay but you go first." Not that I entend to go through with it. I'm not stupid. Mia makes a call and thirty minutes later, Jonathan, the tattoo guy comes in. Mia tells him what is going on and he sets up his stuff in the corner of the bar. I motion with my hands for Jacob to go first and he walks over and sits down. I shake my head at him.

"Drop 'em and bend over Jakie." I look over to Jonathan. "He wants a rose." He gives me a puzzled look but then just shrugs and starts the process. As soon as the needle touches his skin, Jacob lets out the girliest scream I've ever heard. We all bust out laughing. Alex gets his cell phone out and starts recording while Jacob starts crying and complaining about the pain. Adrian is laughing so hard in my head I can barely hear anyone else.

"Oh my god. Is he using a knitting needle to do this thing? It hurts like hell!" What a baby. I'm glad we have this all on video. When he's done, he pulls up his pants and limps over to Mia's sympathetic waiting arms. I try to walk away without being noticed when Christian stops me. The traitor.

"Where're you going Rose? Didn't you tell Jacob you'd get a chicken if he got a rose? It's your turn." he grins. I turn around and give everyone my best smile.

"You all didn't really think I was serious did you? I am NOT getting a chicken on my ass!" Adrian starts making clucking noises in my head. "Shut up Adrian." I don't know how, but the clucking was contageous because everyone else started doing it too. Peer pressure at it's finest. I look to Dimitri to save me from this humiliation.

"Sorry Rose but maybe next time you agree to something you should think about it first. Don't be so impulsive." Great, more Zen life lessons.

"Fine I'll do it, but I won't be happy about it." I glare at everyone. "And Adrian, you better not go hide. You need to stay and experience this too. I want to hear you talking to me the whole time." I walk over to Jonathan and whisper in his ear what I want. I pull down my pants just enough for the artwork he is about to impart. Dimitri stands guard so no one sneeks a peek. He can be a little protective, but that's what I love about him. I'm used to the pain from my other marks, but Adrian is having a little harder time dealing with it.

_Rose, I am so going to get you for this. Do you enjoy pain? Are you a masochist or something?_

When it's all done, I show Dimitri first my loving little tribute to him. On my right cheek is a tattoo of a cartoon chicken holding up a big red heart that says 'Dimitri' in it. He smiles and gives me a kiss.

"It's beautiful Roza." Lissa, Mia and Rose Ann come over to see and they sigh. The guys want to take a look too but Dimitri says no. Rose Ann takes a picture with Alex's cell phone so you can't see anything but the artwork. The boys laugh. They just don't understand sentiment.

That night when I went to sleep, Adrian and I were on the beach. He wasn't really mad at me so we just had fun in the water splashing and dunking each other. I asked him if wanted to invite the others into our dream for a party, but he declined.

"I just want to spend some alone time with you right now." he leans in to kiss me but I pull away.

"Adrian, I can't do this. I'm engaged to Dimitri. You and I are best friends remember?" He looks hurt and disappointed. God, why does he do this to me? He knows how guilty I feel for the situation of him being stuck in my body and leading him on with that amazing kiss we shared. He is giving me those puppy dog eyes that I can't resist. I do love him, but I love Dimitri more, so I cling to that thought. Instead of a kiss, I reach out and pull him into a strong embrace. He pulls me in tight and we just stand there like that for quite a while. Why does life have to be so complicated? Right as the dream starts to fade, Adrian pulls back and before I realize what is happening, his lips are on mine, kissing me so intensly my head is swimming. I wake up in Dimitri warm arms wrapped around me.

_Adrian!_

_Sorry Little Dhampir. I couldn't help myself._

That morning, Dimitri and I are getting ready for our meeting with the Queen. I don't know why she wants to see us, but I don't have a good feeling about it. I think it might have something to do with our relationship, but who knows. I put on the guardian uniform of black slacks, white shirt and black jacket. Dimitri puts on his uniform too and boy does he look hot. Of course, he looks good in pretty much anything. My butt is so sore, I have trouble sitting. This is going to look real good in front of the Queen. 'Don't mind me your Highness. I just got roaring drunk last night and got a tattoo of a chicken on my ass.' Yeah, that will impress her.

_Adrian, stay with me okay? Help me out if you can._

_Of course, Rose. You can always depend on me._

_I know. Thank you._

We are lead into the Queen's parlor where we waited for her to arrive. She came in with at least six guardians. "Welcome Guardian Belikov, Ms. Hathaway. Please sit down." She motioned to the small love seat behind us. Please be soft. Please be soft. Ugh. Hard as a rock. I wince as my sore bottom hits the couch. I sit straight up with my hands in my lap and a fake smile on my face. I know she doesn't care for me at all and any mistakes I make might endanger my assignment as Lissa's guardian.

"I'm sure you are both wondering why I asked to meet you here alone today." You think. "It is my understanding that Adrian was kidnapped by that Strigoi because of you Rosemarie." She glares at me. My defenses go on high alert as I stiffen up even more and glare back at her. "And then I hear that he was turned to a Strigoi when you left him behind." My anger is boiling over inside me now. My hands are clenching into tight fists as I imagine punching that condescending look right off her face. Dimitri senses my rising emotions because he puts his hand on mine to calm me down.

_Rose, you can't punch the Queen so relax. I know my aunt is a bitch, but she isn't worth going to jail. Breath, Rose. _

I didn't even realize I was holding my breath. I exhaled and relaxed a bit.

"I was also surprised to learn that Adrian, now as a Strigoi, came to attack the academy with the sole purpose of getting you. It seems that Adrian still has a _thing_ for you from what I was told of your 'confrontation' with him." She has a disgusted look on her face imagining me kissing Adrian I guess. I don't really blame her for that but if she only knew the reason why.

She looks over at Dimitri's hand that is holding mine and sees the engagement ring I forgot to take off. She has a confused look on her face that turns into a scowl. "I heard that you were engaged Guardian Belikov, but I thought it was to Guardian Rose Ann Popov, not Ms Hathaway." She says my name with as much distaste as she can muster. He just squeezes my hand tighter.

"No Your Majesty. Rose here has honored me by accepting my proposal of marriage." He is so good at being formal and kissing ass.

"Two guardians married to each other is a very dangerous venture. Your charges lives will certainly be compromised with your distractions." I don't think I like where this is going. "But, I may have a solution for you." Wait, what? She wants to help us? What's the catch?

_I wonder what she wants._

"The idea of my great nephew out there killing innocent people keeps me up at night. I have a proposal for you. Many of us here in our government know of the Prophocey and that you are the Chosen One, Rosemarie. If you really are to be the greatest hunter of our world, then your first assignment should be to find my nephew and free his soul." If she only knew. "Obviously I don't expect you to go alone. Guardian Belikov, your finance, will of course go with you as well as anyone else you deem needed." Wow. This is unexpected. This actually is perfect. We were planning on going to search for Adrian anyway, and know we will have unlimited resources to help us. Maybe I should tell her about his soul being trapped inside my body. Will she believe me?

_Adrian, should we tell her about you?_

_I guess we better._

"Your Majesty, about Adrian and his soul, well, it didn't go very far away." She is looking at me confused. Well, I would too. "When Ezekiel bit him in the basement, I was holding him in my arms when he was dying and I kissed him goodbye. When I did that, he sent Spirit into me and his soul came with it. He is here, sharing my body. He can see and hear you just as I can. We are trying to figure out how to send his soul back into his body. I tried at the attack but something went wrong, the magic was being blocked somehow. We were planning on searching for Adrian anyways before your offer so we could heal him." She doesn't say anything for a few momemts, just stares at me as if trying to see if I was trying to be funny.

_Tell her that on my tenth birthday, she gave me a gold pocket watch with the Ivashkov family crest on it that belonged to my great great grandfather._

I tell her what Adrian just told me and she gasped. Apparently she didn't believe me before. "Well, if you succeed in bringing Adrian back to his Moroi self, I will be forever grateful. Who would you like to bring with you on your mission?"

"Well, I guess Alex Black, Guardian Popov, Eddie Castile, Christian Ozera, Peter Badica, Mia Rinaldi, Jacob Zeklos and Lissa Dragomir." I know she is going to give me hell for the Moroi, especially Lissa.

"You want to bring Moroi with you? Royal Moroi? That is totally irresponsible. You can have the dhampirs, but not the others." Oh yeah.

"Lissa and Peter are Spirit users and we need them to heal Adrian. Christian and Jacob are fire users and you know how helpful they can be in an attack. And Mia has been training herself to fight. I wouldn't bring anyone along that I didn't need or I thought would be in too much danger." I stand firm. I stare at her as she stares at me, neither of us willing to look away first. Finally, she sighs and gives in.

"Fine. You will report back here the week after your graduation. Then you will receive everything you need to accomplish your task. Do not let me down Rosemarie. If you do this, I will not stand in your way of you two getting married. Oh, I do have one other request." Now what? "Since my nephew now resides in your body, you will need a guardian of your own. I would like Guardian Belikov to be that guardian. No one else will be as dedicated to ensure that you and Adrian are safe. You may leave now. Good afternoon." We walk out to meet the rest of the gang and let them know what is going on.

We tell them what the Queen proposed and they are all excited. Mia is jumping up and down thanking me for including her. Peter is quiet so I go sit next to him. With everything that has been happening, I haven't talked to him alone in a while. "Do you really think I will be of any help to you? Telling you how people are feeling isn't exactly usefull in hunting Strigoi." He needs a big boost of confidence.

"Peter, you are my friend, a part of my family. Lissa and Adrian and you will work together and figure out how we are going to make this work. That's why you are coming. If you want to."

"Of course. I wouldn't miss this for the world." he smiles. I reach over and push the hair that is always in his eyes to the side. It always bugs me. I smile and pull him up into a big hug. Jacob is way too excited about this adventure. He better not make me regret including him. I go over to Dimitri and sit in his lap and put my arms around his neck.

"Well comrade, I guess we found a way for us to be together in this world after all." I lean down and give him a kiss.

"We sure did Roza. We sure did."

**I think I am going to end this story here. I am working on the sequal that will be about our favorite Guardians and Moroi on their adventures in searching for Adrian to heal him and bring him back. I plan on putting up one more chapter though with a scene that I didn't include in this story, Dimitri's little chat with Jacob. Anyway, please review and let me know what you thought of the chapter, the story overall and what you think of the sequel idea. Thanks for reading.**


	40. Chapter 40

**Here is a little bonus chapter. Some of you were wondering what Dimitri said to Jacob the morning he pulled him aside for a 'Chat'. This was because Rose gave Jacob a black eye for sneaking into bed with her. Hope you like it.**

**Warning" Dimitri swears a lot when he is really pissed and Jacob swears a lot when he is really scared.**

**I don't own Vampire Academy.**

**Dimitri POV**

I'm walking down the hall when I see Rose and her little posse coming towards me. Why is she always surrounded by drooling idiots? I know that novice has a thing for her, so I already don't like him. I notice the annoying Moroi has a black eye. When I get to them I stop and look right at him.

"What happened to your face?" I have my suspicions on how he got it, but I better be sure.

"Rose happened to my face. Someone needs to put her on a tight leash. She's out of control." he says like a true royal. Arrogant, spoiled little bastard. I look over to Rose to get a better explanation.

"He snuck into bed with me last night and I woke up with his hand under my shirt."

That fucking dick! I'm going to rip his arms off and shove them up his ass!

Breath Dimitri. Focus on your breathing. I need to calm down before I kill him. The next thing I know I have the little punk by the collar about two feet off the ground. He looks scared. He should be.

"I think we need to have a little chat, Lord Zeklos." I say as calmly as I can. I start walking him down the hall into an empty room. I still have ahold of his shirt and he is struggling to keep up. I open the door and throw him against the wall, still holding him off the ground by his shirt. I must look as pissed as I feel because his eyes go wide, his mouth drops open and his face gets even paler than natural. I wouldn't be surprised to see a growing puddle on the floor beneath him.

I lean in close only a few inches away from his face. I can't help but scowl thinking about what he did to my Roza. I hear him swallow and see beads of sweat forming on his forehead and upper lip.

"In what fucking universe do you live in that you think you can lay your filthy hands anywhere near her? Just because she is a pretty dhampir, doesn't make her a blood whore! Do you think she and the rest of the novices at this school kill themselves everyday in training just so stupid little fucktards like you can treat them like shit?" I wait for an answer to make sure he is paying attention. He isn't saying anything but his eyes seem to get even wider if that were possible. "Answer me!"

"Y- yes sir. I- I mean n-no sir." he manages to choke out.

"Rose is willing to die to protect you, so you will treat her with the respect that she deserves. If I ever find out that you touched, spoken or even looked at her in any way that makes her uncomfortable, you will deal with me. You don't want that, I promise. Black eyes aren't my thing. Think internal bleeding." I growl the last few words and I swear I think he almost passed out. I let go of his shirt and he slides down the wall and lands on his ass on the floor. I squat down in front of him so we are again face to face. "Do we have an understanding Lord Zeklos?" Gotta remember my manners. He nods his head. I stand upright and look down at the pathetic punk. "When you return to your guardian, tell Rose I need to have a word with her." He nods again but stays put. I walk out of the classroom to find Guardian Sidorov to get Rose off night guarding duty. Before I get too far, I hear him crying like a little girl. They come first, my ass.

**Jacob POV**

"He snuck into bed with me last night and I woke up with his hand under my shirt." Rose tattles. Exagerate much? Suddenly I feel something pull at the back of my shirt and I realize my feet are no longer touching the ground. What the hell? I look over my shoulder and see the face of death. Holy shit Belikov looks pissed! What did I do?

"I think we need to have a little chat, Lord Zeklos." Okay, a chat. That doesn't sound so bad. Whoa, where are we going and what the hell is the hurry? He opens a door to one of the empty classrooms and shoves me up against a wall. Holy shit, that hurt. Oh god, he has a look on his face that would make the biggest, baddest Strigoi go running for his mommy. His face is so close to mine I can see a vein throbbing in his forehead. That's not good. I can feel the blood draining from my face and I am starting to sweat all over. My heart feels like it's going to beat right out of my chest and I have to swallow the bile building up in my throat before I throw up all over him and piss him off more.

"In what fucking universe do you live in that you think you can lay your filthy hands anywhere near her?!" Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! He is beyond pissed. He is yelling so loud I think he busted my eardrum because I now have a ringing in my ear. "...make her a blood whore!" A blood whore? Oh god, he thinks I tried to have sex with her? Shit! No wonder he's so mad. "...novices at this school kill..." Did he just say 'kill'? He's going to kill me I just know it. I want my mommy. He's just looking at me know with the face of danger. He isn't saying anything. Oh god, why isn't he saying anything? This is it. I'm going to die now. I wonder how he's going to do it, break my neck? choke me? "Answer me!" Oh god, I think I just wet myself. He wants an answer but I didn't hear the question.

"Y-yes sir." I didn't think it was possible but the vein in his forehead just got bigger. Okay, that was the wrong answer. "I, I mean n-no sir." I hope it was a yes or no question or else I am royally fucked.

"Rose is willing to die to protect you, so you will treat her with the respect that she deserves. If I ever find out that you touched, spoken or even looked at her in any way that makes her uncomfortable, you will deal with me." I don't want to deal with you. "You don't want that, I promise." I believe you. Please don't hurt me. "Black eyes aren't my thing. Think internal bleeding." Oh god, I think I'm going to faint. That definitly doesn't sound good. I swear I will never lay a hand on her again, please just let me live.

Next thing I know I'm on the floor. Ouch, that hurt. He squats down in front of me and is in my face again. I thought the nightmare was over. "Do we have an understanding Lord Zeklos?" Understanding? Yeah, never do anything to piss you off. I nod my head hoping he'll leave. "When you return to your guardian, tell Rose I need to have a word with her." Tell Rose to see you. Anything you want. I nod my head. He stands up and walks away. I let out a big breath I didn't even know I was holding. Oh thank god I'm alive. I have never been so terrified in my life. I can't help the tears that fall down my cheeks. I looked death in the face and lived.

**I hope that you liked that. It was fun to write. I'll work on the sequel to this story this weekend and have the first chapter up as soon as I can. Thanks for reading this story and all the wonderful feedback. **

**Review and tell me what you thought of this chapter.**


	41. Chapter 41

**Hey loyal readers. I just wanted to let you know I published the sequel to this story. It is The Chosen One. I hope it will be just as entertaining as the this story has been, for me at least. The first chapter is just kind of a summary. The action will start after that. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews you have given me for this story. I greatly appreciate it and I hope you will do the same for the continuation. **


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